#but altering his appearence........ another can of worms entirely. painful

[ccaptain]

For H:SR Kaeya to forever solidify a bond and come to terms with the turmoil in his life that circles around his identity, two things can happen:

- Once it's revealed that his previous name no longer has meanings nor importance, he allows the person to give him a name. Not just a name- an identity to have that's shared only between them. He's not Kaeya Alberich, nor his own person: he's walking a weird line between the two, and must be pulled to a side for him to finally be comfortable and for his inner turmoil to settle. Kaeya allowing his partner to name them is a tender moment- expecially if they use names from their native language, that they have thought about, a name that gives a meaning to reflect his entire personality and mannerism. They will be the founders of his new identity, a name to call tenderly with pride of having given it to him, or when they're in trouble; and, no matter what, he will appear to their side, to their aid- eternally grateful, and with a name to use that bonds them irreversibly. The only problem is that, once the one that named him dies, so does the sweet, shared secret of the identity. Nobody will ever call him that special name again. - Dramatic, irreversible changes are applied to his appearence either directly or indirectly by someone. If you're thinking about that Tangled scene where Eugene slices off Rapunzel's hair, or Akane Tendo's long hair being accidentally cut off by Ryoga... yeah, this is pretty much what I had in mind too. Not only that- but anything that alters his body for a long period of time can be applied here too: a wound, or a scar somebody manages to land on him and make it stick to a body that attempts to self-repair. Even if not with romantic intent, once a person manages to alter his appearence, they become both the bearer and the witnesses of a change- they modify his looks, accidentally or forcefully impose themselves on him and destroy the barrier that enthrances him to resemble Kaeya Alberich. They have permanently altered him, no matter if romantic or antagonistic. Leaving a sign on a borrowed body shocks him out of the identity he's carrying- Kaeya Alberich never had that scar or that wound before. Kaeya Alberich never bore the possible mark a stubborn lover keeps doing and doing time and time again in that place- therefore, he's no longer Kaeya Alberich. It works- it's a less sweet method and a more twisted one that's way less tender, under some cases, but it works just as well.

[enigmaincrimson-personal]

Re-reading the Gushing over Magical Girls manga again... trying to make observations.

Venalita has a twitter account.

Knowing Evie, she probably already found said account... among other things. The mascots can't exactly camouflage themselves and neither can smartphones, so figuring out Magia Baiser's identity by getting into his phone wouldn't be too difficult once she's locked in.

Although to be honest, it probably started by her simply wanting to track the pesky mascot's movements... one thing leads to another and suddenly she's got the identities of the entire team of Tres Magia members with the confirmation she needs.

Not that she wouldn't have already known, but pointing out the whole illusion blindness thing she has to people is just going to open up a worse can of worms. It's also why she tends to avoid places like graveyards if she can help it.

In fact, her tracking of magical girls in the wild is one of the reasons why AMP uses inter-spatial displacement as part of the transformation mechanism.

_

In other words, the AMP user and their active body doesn't have to be in the same place... resulting in the magical girl using the system just "appearing" to intercept a target and then "vanish" just as quickly when the job is done.

Of course, AMP also has the fun little feature of being able to "lie" about the nature of the active body... since there's really no physical difference between the active body and the magical girls it was engineered to replicate. In other words, mechanically, it would appear identical to the original system.

However, destroying the active body simply triggers a safe ejection... and the user can simply redeploy again later with a fresh active body.

In other words, unless you can prove that Joe, a guy living on the complete opposite of town mysteriously vanishes whenever a cute magical girl appears on your side of town, it's a real pain to track them down.

And that's before going over how the cute magical girl can do the whole transform and detransform thing just like the other magical girls.

_

But to get back on topic... while she would recognize Utena and the Tres Magia team on sight, the footage of what happened that day... as well as the sore butts and misery the following day confirms it.

If she does have her own form of sadism, it's more of the manipulative... letting the idiot hit themselves in the face sort of thing.

And she's been collecting the footage off Venalita's phone for a later scheme.

_

For both Vatz and Venalita, Evelyn is the one that keeps getting away... but at the same time, they have no idea that it's her.

While her alter ego and Violagia seem to be a force to be reckoned with by themselves, Evelyn is actually more dangerous when she's not hiding her identity with AMP.

_

Note to self... I've been awake for 24 hours and I really need to sleep.

[havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong]

Act 2 -- Il Dottore Part 3

[tagging @hasnightingaledoneanythingwrong ]

An engineer, a man of wit and mystery, takes the field.

He must take the script.

He must take the script.

He must take the script. Correct?

--

There's a mirror in front of me.

I can see through it -- I can see that man's eyes.

What's left of them.

'My' own hands, and the spear that would no doubt pierce my skull.

'Myself' -- separated from that body. Even my name, my 'self,' would elude me. I try to call for my name, to unconsciously understand my body, to grip on and 'reconnect,' yet --

There's no controller. My hands reach out in this endless abyss of gears, locked tightly by some horrible fluid, crunching something as it desperately tried to spin.

The clicking of an overextended piston.

The ground beneath me trembled.

Even my eyesight grows blurry, staring through the mirror, towards the white-haired woman who approaches 'me' so angrily.

That speartip grows closer still, and I--

--

...

There's a horde of gears beneath me.

Perhaps I'm laying down -- the clicking of struggling gears is all I can hear, or feel, against my back -- my feet. All around me, rust falls -- like snowflakes falling from the roof of metal, hanging wires and leaking engines, steadily coating the environment in its own twisted form of 'lakes' -- pools of oil, mixed with rust flakes, populating the areas surrounding me. Forming a path of broken parts, brittle and rusted over -- pointing forwards.

...There's an ache in my head. A pounding, drilling feeling. My body flickers -- certainly, I am to exist, as I feel 'me' being ripped away-

Groping around behind me, the wall, the ground I was leaning on, my greyed hands grasped something tough --

...A book.

A play with no visible name.

Just a blank hardcover back, dyed black, flecks of rust on its form.

...I force myself off the ground, onto the wall.

One foot in front of the other.

The wall cracks beneath my feet. The brittle floor crunches, shudders, underneath even the weight of my step.

My lightest footsteps cracked the beams beneath my feet -- long since, I assumed, brought to ruin by the surrounding environment. Eaten away -- desecrated.

And yet, still only the snap -- the crack, of the wall on which I walked.

...I raised my hand -- wiped a few drops of oil from it, stepping away from a broken engine just above me -- and placed my eyes on the book before me.

...The feeling in my head -- the drilling, drives itself deeper into my temples.

[It is yours. It is your script/life/world. It is your 'existence.']

...Words, in my mind. The unimaginable language that worms its way into my mind -- whispers its meanings without being heard, to get across what words alone could not.

It ate -- tore at me, 'myself.' Taking a chunk of my mind -- my 'self,' suddenly, even--

"...What do you mean?"

[...It is simple. What you have done now is your purpose -- to stop that man. To break/destroy/harm him. Do you now understand?]

...

...The man. The one I had watched 'me' deface -- attempt to harm. Had harmed.

Through the mirror, the shattered visage of the man remained -- his body twitching, shuddering.

Muscles spasming as each jagged edge dug itself deeper --

...I found my hand moving to my mouth, distracting my quivering stomach with the piercing scent of oil and rust.

"I didn't do that. That... That wasn't me. I've been here this whole time."

[And does that matter? Whose hands are stained/coated/reveling in the blood?]

...

...I found my hands wouldn't open -- wouldn't drop this book.

'Was the voice coming from this -- or..?'

[...You are an actor/pawn/word in a story. Look at you/rself.]

...A 'thunk' -- a creaking in the metal beams -- disturbed the grounds. My eyes raise themselves from the book.

Towards 'me.'

Donning the clear mask, dripping with liquids.

A body like mine -- a gaudy, old-fashioned black outfit, long since stained and worn down with the rust, the oil, the...

...

"..."

...Not a word. The 'me' steps forward. Readies a knife.

[...You are not what you were in other times/worlds/beings. You are neither a hero/god/saviour, nor even a worker/engineer/bee.]

...The 'me' throws his knife. My body jerks -- twitches, forcing itself to the side, catching my heels, my body thrown off its balance.

[You are an actor/pawn/fool. Accept your script.]

The brittle, rust ridden ground beneath me --

-- in a moment, collapses.

--

...

There's a buzzing.

A loud screaming of scratching metals -- the hum of an old light trying to keep itself alive.

There's a warmth about me. My hand raises -- my blurry eyes, for a moment, catch a glowing, red, something, before it scatters.

And in its place, is --

...Light.

Endless light.

My eyes slowly focus in on this -- this...

...'Feeling.'

A feeling made manifest.

Feelings, made manifest.

Of what was lost to me -- such a being, unmoved by the surrounding gears, the pieces, remained. Surrounding me.

Then --

[...Are you awake/asleep/open, my beloved?]

...A thousand voices. A million voices. Speaking in unison -- a Greek chorus of words, spoken all at once, in each tone an entire person spoken.

"...Who.. are you..?"

[...If such simple questions explained me/us/you, we would not stand here.]

...There's a golden light -- it reverberates, shining off what remained of the iron, steel components of this land I fell to.

[...We were summoned, here -- for you/me/them. To help. This story of ours/theirs/us we wished to watch -- is not, we/I/you realize, as we expected/wished/wanted.]

"...Are you... a Familiar? Or are you a Servant, like they.. The... That they spoke of..?"

...A Servant. One I'd understood -- even if the memory was lost. A replica of a hero from history. But where I was now was assuredly not the 'real world' -- not a place where a Servant could even be.

[...We/I/you/them/ are the Audience. There is little else to know.]

...

"...You mentioned you were to... help."

...The drilling returns -- intensifies. My lungs quiver, and tighten -- my brain 'pulsing,' in pain. In realization, of--

[...We/I/You may not help in the way of saving you. However, I would have you hold these, my beloved, and attempt to move. To remember/believe/forget.]

...Two objects appeared at my feet --

[...I wish you/me/us/them the best.]

--and the light faded.

...

The first -- a lone amulet. A necklace. A pale silver, carefully crafted, held shut by a tiny clasp.

...Something I carried with me -- the drill in my mind, the drill tearing off the 'pieces' of me, could not remove such a thing.

The second -- a revolver.

At a glance, an old model, that I'd never seen before. Placing the amulet around my neck, I gripped and raised the gun -- a curious model, with six 'barrels' in place of the usual one. It may have been fully loaded -- but I supposed it wouldn't be the brightest idea to check.

...My eyes settle on my hands, grasping onto the gun. Colour spread throughout my fingers, bringing it from a dull grey to a light peach --

--...to what my mind was now realizing -- were normal.

And in a moment, 'He' approached me. The room, with the light removed, remained its rusted, dripping self.

Oil pooled around my feet, in a circle -- 'He' stepped forward, readied his blade.

[...You keep fighting. Despite your fate/story/script being secured -- despite your very existence being drawn/placed/muddled into question.]

...My hand gripped the handle of this revolver -- my spare hand now rising to my chest, where this amulet now lay. Warmth began to spread throughout me -- one I only recognized as 'correct,' flowing through me.

[I ask you. What gives you the right to break your role/script/self? What gives you the right to exist?]

The drill keeps moving -- it burrows further into my brain. My eyes flash to black, return -- the 'Him,' unrecognizable, his face, his body impossible to understand.

A swarming 'humanoid' mass. A coalescence of 'being,' tied only by a 'form' I could no longer perceive.

"...What gives me the right... to exist?"

...The drill, digging deeper --

--as I tried to grasp for memories, for a reasoning, I found less and less. It took hold of me, stole those 'memories,' yet --

...As the 'Him' before me stepped forward, I found my hand unconsciously grasping my amulet -- opening it up, just as my vision blacked out again --

...I found my voice.

It were humming.

A tune I couldn't place.

One so deep in my brain, that even the drill could not alter its calming, melodic tune.

With each high note, a face returned.

A coworker. A patron. A supplier.

With each low note, a time.

A creation.

Little creatures I so dearly referred to as 'Mousers.'

Even fluids -- 'medicines' I'd borne witness to.

...

With the bridge of this hummed tune, my vision returned.

And with it -- my hand, holding the revolver, raised itself slowly.

The gears beneath me, surrounding me, shuddered -- flakes of rust shooting off its surface, evaporating.

The shine of steel repaired itself -- one by one, these broken, rusted gears began to turn -- sewing itself back together with welds made as though by a miracle.

I found, in my hand, lay a small jar. 'Vick'xxx.' Something that heavily increased libido.

Facing 'him' -- me -- momentarily, I had to wonder -- 'just what could this do?'

...But the funny thing about these creations of mine were their ease of use.

And how easily I could alter the mixture -- and change how it worked.

With a toss in the air, the jar shimmered, and fell back in my hand --

This world I was in -- it wasn't real life.

It was my own mind. That pocket of 'conscious' where I now fought against this invader.

For my right to exist -- and to ignore this script.

The script, on the ground -- perhaps dropped as my mind were drilled into -- was kicked aside in a moment, an unconscious move of my leg in the effort to cement that.

The being stepped forward -- another step, then brandished the knife and dashed my way.

"...I know why I should exist."

[...And what would that be?]

In a moment, I raised my revolver. Cracking open the jar, I tossed that viscous fluid across the form of the attacker.

"Because I have things left to make. I have a job left to do -- and there are many specimens, beings in my mind, that I haven't yet put to real life."

A swarm of robots -- powered with magecraft, swarming around 'me.'

Those Mousers, holding with them the most minute amounts of oil, from the engines that once leaked -- laying them on the ground around the dashing man.

In a moment, I can see those papers I'd left behind at the Clock Tower -- the journey here, to Carcosa, to find parts for my latest, greatest creation.

I can see my coworkers, even the ones I spoke to and taught in my off time.

In a moment, the faces of each creation I'd seen and brought life to -- each little dose of magecraft, each Mystic Code I brought to existence --

--and deep in my mind, the face of a pink-haired woman who smiled ever-so-slightly, even though I couldn't even understand who she was.

"My life isn't going to be spent tormenting some man I've never even met. Least of all when my competition are beings with strength incomparable to mine."

...

"This is my life -- and I deserve to exist. I want to keep moving forward, and create what nobody before me has! If nothing else -- I have my drive, and that's good enough to me."

Lining up the pepperbox pistol, I fired one lone shot towards 'me.'

The Vick'xxx, modified with ethanol, the oils the Mousers had placed --

--the gunpowder shot struck through 'me,' through the Mask, and set him ablaze.

"...My name is Julius. No matter what awaits me if I break this script, this is my life, and nobody else's."

The blaze evaporated the man -- the gears around me, whirring, spinning at full speed, began to allow the pneumatic pistons to raise one final time.

Onwards, upwards -- the fires dwindling, leaving behind only the mask the man had, now coloured a soot black from the ashes.

[...Are you so willing to join the suffering/pain/descent of that man that you would throw away your chance to fade/die/dwindle peacefully?]

"...If that's what it means to give me freedom, then so be it."

I raised my leg up --

--and brought my foot down upon the mask.

[inviouswriting]

Lich’s Puppet AU

It goes without saying this one is going to be a bit darker.

Mentions - @snow-covered-moon​ ‘s Shuri and polyship with her.

Warnings: I won’t cut these ones because there are some themes here. Mostly forced to drink something, and paralysis, mind control, and body modifications.

Perhaps she was careless, she tends to think she can’t be harmed, yet she still has weaknesses. She is a spirit, and a spirit can still be lured under greater magic to be enslaved. She had thought she had great immunity, that nothing would control her the way Vanth did.

Yet she can’t remember the last time she couldn’t control herself. While conscious of everything she is doing. She knew better than to leave Vanth unchecked, the necromancy in Tam-Tara should have warned her of a presence. That the worse of her nightmares to come again was happening.

His magic still has deep roots within her, there will always be that stain in her as much as her right wing. Her entire body is on fire, it feels like acid slowly eating away at her, the flames of the undead were something she hated. They burned the very soul and scarred it. Her eyes and hair matched the form Vanth wanted.

Skin almost greenish to her brown, lime green eyes and white hair. She isn’t even sure how she was snared. All she remembered was going on another mission for the scions. To check a tower in Coerthas, she could get close without alerting others. Or so she thought.

She had been chased down by a lunar Garuda. She knew the primal was fast, but given the alterations, the lunar alone caught up to her in no time. Kivera looked away from in front of her, till she flew pass the threshold of a tower. She had never been inside them, she felt dread from being in vicinity. Like Vanth’s magic scared her years ago. 

Inside she had seen Ixal trapped to the walls, being used to empower the lunar primal. She keeps her feet from the ground, seeing it as fleshy matter more than an actual ground. She likens it to one of Vanth’s creations. Every part of her screams to leave, but she couldn’t with her exit closed. 

“What a surprise. Who would have thought you would be here.” Kivera freezes down to her spine, her feathers stand on end, bristling at the voice. She knows this voice, deep, hollow and raspy. It does the same thing regardless in chilling her to her soul. 

“What are you doing here...” She keeps her hover even more for fear of what would happen if her feet connect with the ground. She had forgotten about Garuda, it seems the primal disappeared from her entirely, or was laying in wait. She was no longer her worry. What was, is the lich who she had thought she rendered deep in the pit she had made. The furthest deep of Tartarus that she had named it Agitazione, land of the unsuffering dead. 

“Why are you so surprised, you knew you can’t kill me. Even with your awakening. Not even the power you command from above could do anything. I will always come back. It took a bit of time... you left me in ashes.” Kivera turns to see the being. Vanth. He had taken a form that allowed him to blend in with others. An older elezen, with graying hair. He looked like a holy man, but Kivera knew him as far from that. What he did was horrid to both heavens and underworld.

He enslaved the dead as puppets. He led the slaughter on hundreds if not thousands of women and men during the Salem trials, one that she remembers as her first cleanse to end an entire city. She couldn’t touch the souls after Vanth took over their minds. Thanatos had instructed her, nothing good comes from a necromancer, and they did not want the souls tainted by a lich. They could not rest, nor would they ever. They chose blood magic and a great taboo together. Raising the dead is an unforgiveable sin among the underworld, tied in with enslaving the spirits was something that she was specifically trained to take out without hesitation.

Vanth was the reason she had lost two dear to her. Divinity at first when she was human, then Damien. Kivera realizes how in over her head she is. Yet she knows her loved ones, and the allies she has gained would not be able to fight someone like him. Not yet, Kan-E-Senna could, she was blessed in holy and light.

Kivera was not either of those, and she could feel her nerves on fire the longer she is lingering. In her shock she fails to notice the fleshy tendrils that creep up seeking aether energy. Kivera being full of it. All the bits had to do was connect with skin and start leeching her. How lucky would Garlean be if they score her as an ally. A powerful destructive force would raze everything. Vanth knows this, he always knew of her location, she is still a creature of habit, she clings to those that show her love.

Kivera remembers herself, and looks down to see the floor moving, arcing up towards her feet. The ends resembling a swarm of worms, making the reaper feel sick at seeing them move like this. She moves higher, and it is there that Garuda shows herself slamming full force into Kivera from the side, sending her into the nearest wall. 

Kivera is fast to rebound but the walls have that same fleshy material. When she connects many tendrils surge to coil around an arm. Kivera burns them off and kicks her feet on the wall to get away from the, rubbing the others off her arms as they break apart. 

Vanth just stands back to watch, keeping his control on the matter around. The imprisoned ixal reach to grab Kivera whenever she was close. The reaper not having a place to stand or rest without something trying to snare her. It will take one careless mistake on her part. One moment of weakness. Something Vanth knows every being to have. He just had to figure out where she will land to think she is safe.

Kivera fights more with Garuda, sending bursts of fire, while Garuda sends wind. They scrap together, talons and claws ripping at feathers, Kivera burning wings and biting her. Garuda using her feet and claws to grasp her target. She snares Kivera and soon pins her to a wall.

Vanth sees his chance, and swarms the tendrils onto Kivera. Each touched with a bright lime flame. Kivera feels something she hasn’t felt in ages. Pain. Pure pain. The tendrils leech life while replacing with lich flames. The color in her skin greenish but stays brown, the black of her hair turns white, and her eyes that convey her emotions stays a pure bright lime color with a glow to them. She looked the same but altered in her appearance.

Kivera couldn’t scream with the claw around her neck keeping her still. All she could even think was sparing those she loves. She rends her connection to Shuri, Estinien, Divinity and any of the children. Scions, she will never forgive them for sending her on this mission. 

Vanth claps and Garuda lets Kivera down, he tests something snapping his fingers for Kivera to raise her arms. She does, there is a look of horror to her eyes at being controlled. Vanth approaches her and lifts her head. The elezen face he had chosen gives a sneer at such a prize he obtained.

“There we are. What should have happened all those years ago. If only Damien was more compliant, you could have had both, him and this life.” Kivera only glares at him, her face the only thing she has control of. Garuda leaves disappearing now that the threat is over.

Vanth circles around Kivera keeping her standing straight, he notes her glaring. He needs her more compliant. Two ixals approach Kivera from behind and take an arm while Vanth gets her to kneel down. Ignoring the hissing under her breath. She doesn’t take her eyes off of Vanth, unsure of what he is planning to do. He fishes an elixir like bottle off a belt he has, one he has safeguarded for the rare occasion he captured Kivera. 

Kivera tightens her mouth knowing the liquid is for her. It is black in color, and she has seen it work once. When he used it on a maid girl back in Salem. It is to control her, it erases the mind, leaving it blank. Kivera is prided in her strong mind, but even she won’t be able to do much if it is in her system. He brewed it specific for her. A catalyst potion.

“This will go smoother if you comply. Not like anyone is going to come save you from this. By the time they even get news of you missing, you are aware they’re use to you going off and doing your own thing. They also know how powerful you are. They wouldn’t think you would be overcome so easy. Yet you did put up quite a fight against Garuda. But it shows even a god slayer like you can still slip up against them.” Vanth raises Kivera’s head, and she attempts to bite him, he uses the opportunity to hook his thumb into her mouth to keep it open.

Quickly he presses the bottle already opened with a flick of the cork off. Kivera wants to turn her head but can’t from his control and the ixal. The liquid burns, like liquid fire in her body, searing from the inside out. With the bottle emptied and cast off to break somewhere. Vanth waits.

He kneels in front of her. He was always a tall man, he might have chosen a roegadyn for their height better. But they didn’t fit the elegance he still holds. And would have raised suspicions. He had been around since Thordan’s end, leading people to follow him from the outskirts of Coerthas, those that disapproved of Aymeric still to the day.

How easy it is to lure people with the idea he can change things back the old way. Even more when he came across Fandaniel, giving him an idea of how to snare Kivera. Earning an ally through the ascian if it meant she would be dealt with.

Kivera feels white hot through her head, like everything she thought and knew was disappearing. It hurt to think, and it pained her to swallow, she tasted that bitter potion and she wanted to drag her tongue across the dirt. Though the only thing available would have been the fleshy floor of the tower. That disgusted her more. 

Her last thoughts were to her loved ones. Sending apologies through the links as she burns them, her last chance to make sure they are safe.

“I am sorry... for what I am about to do. I have no choice. Please know... that the being that you will face.. is not me. Kill her.” Her laments to Divinity, she relays the same to Estinien, then too to Shuri. She ends the link before she loses herself, severing them entirely. They will feel it, like a piece of them is ripped out. She can see Divinity collapsing into tears, and the confusion on Estinien and Shuri following Divinity. 

Kivera has told them endlessly, that things that a lich touches must be destroyed. That includes. Herself. It means a new cycle of spirits to begin, more tragedies to unfold. Kivera wishes even more that she could have used her former abilities. She lets her last thoughts be of the loved ones.

When she opens her eyes again, she looks up to Vanth. Her voice hollow and echoes in the tower. 

“I am at your command.” One final touch to her, a bone wyvern rests on her. A gift but also a symbiote parasite to keep her under his control. Vanth folds his arms.

“Good, I won’t have you attack yet. We need to wait a little bit per Fandaniel’s request for a better opportunity. Now come with me. We have much to do.” 

[mingiswow]

09 | Blood Princess

Pairing: Namjoon x reader

Genre: Mafia!au

Warnings: mentions of rape, mentions of violence, suggestive themes, cuss words, little makeout things are getting oof

Word count: + 3.3k

“You’re doing to her exactly what Papa did!” you woke up with the screams outside your room. Your body and head ached, the dress and makeup still on, even though some of it was already gone with the tears from last night. The screams started to get louder and clearer by the time your mind started to properly function.

Flashbacks from the day before flew in your mind and a string of pain was felt in your heart. Namjoon, Qian Kun, the pretty boy whose you didn’t know the name, everything came like a wave and you felt dumb, weak and a weight, not only to the boys but also to the world. You felt your throat close in a knot, something common on the last few days, and a stream of tears fall from your eyes.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you dare to compare me to that worm!” the boss’ voice was raspy and deep, anyone hearing him could tell he was angry.

“Then stop treating Y/N like your little trophy, Namjoon! How could you be so insensitive and blind to not tell she was sad and clearly uncomfortable with what that Chinese was saying to her? For fuck sake! She was literally crying in your lap!” Yoongi’s voice was altered, you never heard him scream, you never saw him angry.

“You’re being weak! We could’ve lost important business’ deal because of some childish bullshit!” you heard the smaller one scoff to the boss and the knot came back to your throat and you felt like you were being suffocated. The air was being taken from your lungs little by little. Your heart sank and you felt groundless like you’d fall at any given moment. Without even realizing, your feet dragged you to the door, about to open it and confront the men, but you stopped in your tracks by Yoongi’s words.

“Wow! Childish bullshit?” his voice sounded unbelieved by the youngest’s words. “Namjoon, listen to yourself. Kun was talking shit about Y/N, and I don’t know if you can remember that, but she’s a member of BTS now, and I don’t know if you can remember either but she was abused by Papa! Used! And Kun was out there implying she’s like any of those girls we fuck around when we all know she’s not!” there was a double sigh and a ruffle of hair. “C’mon boss… What’s going on? This is not only because of the deal because we sealed it. This is not you, Namjoon. That one from yesterday, this one in front of me right now is not the Namjoon I know, my friend, my boss, what the hell happened?” the man left a sound almost like a grunt and, as far as you knew him, you were sure he was running his fingers through his perfectly messed hair.

“I… I don’t know, Yoongi! I just couldn’t stand seeing that asshole flirt with her and…” another sigh. “And she was corresponding it like I wasn’t even there! Am I nothing to her? I have the right to get pissed”.

“Yes, you have the right to be pissed. But that doesn’t give you the right to be a complete asshole to her” Yoongi pointed out and your heart felt warm for the first time in the last hours. He was defending you even though he didn’t have to, you two barely spoke and there he was, going against Namjoon’s words after saving you and taking care of you last night. “Besides, she’s nothing but your subordinate, remember? You don’t have the right to interfere in with who she flirts or not” a silence fell upon the hall outside your bedroom and you sat back on the bed. Yes, the sexual tension between you two was undeniable, but, besides his words from last night, neither of you made an actual move. He wasn’t yours and you wasn’t his. And that, for some reason, hurt you. “You should talk to her. She was really hurt last night” another silence fell and you waited for their reaction to come.

Moving around the bed, you rested your back on the headboard, fingers playing with the skirt of the dress that once was a symbol of a happy moment. Your eyes closed, a deep sigh leaving your lips, letting the sounds on your surrounding invade your ears and senses. The happy chirp of the birds and the sun rays illuminating the world outside your windows were a fine contrast to the true soul of that place. The beautiful flowers well-trimmed and color-coordinated didn’t seem to belong to the same tall black doors and gates. Every little thing happening in the world seemed happier and more right than the ones held inside those large wooden doors. Happier than your world seemed to ever be.

Tired of waiting for someone, Namjoon to be more specific, to look out for you, to take care of you, you ripped the expensive dress out of your tired and hurt body, letting it pool on the ground, and went to take a bath. You thanked the maids to not taking any of the baths off your bathroom. 

The bath was filled to the brim, the water was full of pinkish bubbles and foam, smelling like the most soothing and refreshing flower you ever smelled. The warmth of the liquid hugged gently your body as you entered the tub, washing away, even if momentarily, your dark sad thoughts.

When the boys kidnapped you and offered a deal, a solution to your problems, you hugged it with arms and legs. You expected to be easier. It was supposed to be easy. Was. Past tense. You didn’t expect to be greeted with so much love and care, with so much comfort. To make friends that made your life easier, that made you forget everything bad that happened to you. Friends that supported you. Even if they knew you for just a few weeks. You were greeted with such heart and that was something hard to let go. 

Harder than that, you didn’t expect to fall in love with your Don, your boss. Namjoon grew so easily in your heart that you even realized when it all happened. Did you just woke up one day and suddenly you were in love? Or was his dimpled smile that made him look so casual and sweet? Or was his fierce and strong look every time he combed his hair back and wore those perfectly tailored suit, making him look hotter than he already was? The way he treated you and the boys as his own family? How he handled everything so easily that made you wonder if you were doing something wrong your entire time with Papa? 

The whole truth was that you didn’t have answers to none of your questions. You didn’t know how you got on this time and point of your life. And you didn’t know how to deal with it.

A light knock on the bathroom door took your thoughts away, your head snapping to the sound, greeting a casual Namjoon. Your favorite one.

“Can I come in?” you nodded and turned your attention back to the darkness of your shut eyes. He sat on the chair by your side, usually occupied by some of the younger boys, and stood in silence for a while, your breathings matching. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday” his voice was soft, softer than you ever heard. You nodded, not saying anything. “I was a jerk with you” you felt a shiver ran down your body when two cold and wet cotton pads touched your face, Namjoon gently cleaning your makeup-dirtied face. “I guess I don’t deal very well with people getting over what is m… was supposed to be mine” you sighed, enjoying his care towards you and not knowing what to say to the man. “Since I was young, people taught me I shouldn’t let feelings interfere with business. Mafia is harsh, Y/N” you lifted yourself a little from the tub and turned to him, resting your arms on the edge and looking over to him.

You loved casual Namjoon with his dark-blue sweatpants hanging low on his hip bones, the oversized white t-shirt leaving his collarbones and long neck exposed for you to appreciate. His hair beautifully disheveled, a few strands falling over his forehead. Eyes soft, lips plump.

There was a moment of comfortable silence, just the sound of the life outside and your breathings taking over the small room. Your eyes never leaving each other. It was like you were connecting through the silence, just each other entering the one’s soul by those little like windows.

“I like you, Namjoon” you finally spoke, your voice hoarse from the crying and lack of water. “I didn’t want this to happen. It was supposed to be strictly business” you confessed, feeling good to be able to take those words out of your chest to the one who interested the whole thing. “But… Fuck, Namjoon! Have you looked at yourself? How could I not fall for you?” he chuckled lowly, holding it right after. “I never had anything and then you and the boys appeared and give me everything I wanted and needed” your body lifted as you spoke, forgetting you were naked. The man’s eyes instinctively trained to your chest and he shifted uncomfortable in the chair. He didn’t want to look, but you were just too gorgeous for him not to. “I craved love and you seven gave me” you sighed, shoulders falling down.

The new tears forming on your tear-ducts threatened to fall but soon your body was being hugged by Namjoon’s broad figure. His arms held your naked body tight to his as if he was going to lose you if he let go. Your head laid on the crook of his neck, inhaling his strong scent, the mix between cigar smoke, his fresh perfume and natural smell invading your senses and making you dizzy of him. For him.

Gently, he entered the tub with you, laying behind, his arms still hugging your body tight. The sensation of his big body engulfing yours under the warm water was soothing. Your naked figure completely hugged by the liquid and him. Gently, you turned by your side, rolling your body into a ball on top of his, totally submissive by his touch and his care. That was exactly the sensation you aimed for days, your body tightly pressed by his, against his.

“I’m sorry” he whispered on top of your head, kissing your wet hair, one of his hands leaving your side to play with strands floating on top of the water, rolling them into his fingers.

“You don’t have to apologize, Joon” the mention of his nickname warmed his heart, sounding so homely leaving your lips, like it belonged there. “I know how this life is hard. I don’t expect for you to like me back, but just the way you treat me is enough” he felt a punch on his stomach. You deserved so much more than you had. You deserved comfort, happiness, safety, love. “Just your respect towards me is what I need”.

“But I didn't treat you right last night” you finally looked at him, his eyes red for holding the tears. He didn’t want to look weak for you, but that was the last thing you thought of him. “And I am truly sorry for letting Qiao Kun speak to you like that” he sighed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry that I said those things to you”.

Your voice was caught on your throat, you couldn’t form a proper answer to him. Not in words, at least. None of you had the time to actually think straight when you straddled his lap and joined your lips, getting you both by surprise. You didn’t know where that courage came from, but you stopped trying to figure it out when his hands landed on your butt and his lips responded to your kiss.

The atmosphere suddenly felt thick and heavy, both bodies panting. His lips attached to yours like they were glued, tasting you with every desire he held on his body in the last days. Nothing in your entire life felt like that moment. It felt like a scene from a romantic movie you watched when younger, your bodies tied together by invisible strings, hands all over each others, not quite sure where to place them, the nervous terminations on the fingers wanting to feel every single piece of body, mouths opening and closing in sync, tongues dancing a sensual tango, fighting the most erotic match where there were no losers.

He bit your lower lip, pulling it and earning a low and sensual whine from you, both your lungs looking for air. His forehead found yours, eyes staring each other like burning fire, mouths open looking for air. His head fell to your shoulder, bringing your naked body closer to his. As if it was possible.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve dreamed about this. Gosh! Your lips taste like heaven” you felt the crimson red tint up your cheeks at his sudden confession. It all felt new to you. Both inexperienced with love, feelings. You were teenagers again. And you weren’t complaining. “I was so scared to break my own rules that ended up hurting you in the process. I could break my rules, no one was forcing me to follow them besides myself” he laughed at himself, lifting his head from your shoulder and landing a peck on your red and plump lips from the previous action. “Do you have idea of how perfect you are?”

“Stop! You’re making me blush again!” it was your turn to hide your face on his neck, his so well scent invading your senses. He laughed at you, his left hands drawing invisibles circles on your lower back, the right one caressing the soft skin of your thigh. 

“Who would think that the merciless Blood Princess is actually a softie with a big heart?” his voice was provocative, his eyebrow raised and a smirk dancing on his lips. He could joke with you and your reputation, but the reality was that he loved the real Y/N.

“And who would thought that the big feared mafia boss Kim Namjoon is actually a giant fluffy cuddly bear?” your eyes met his, both mouths curled into big smiles.

“You make me soft” his lips met the tip of your nose, planting a little kiss before spreading kisses all over your face before reaching your lips, finally. “I want you, Y/N” Namjoon confessed. Eyes locked with yours. You nodded, encouraging him to keep talking. You couldn’t help but notice how nervous he was, his Adam's apple going up and down as he gulped. It was funny to think that you, bare naked, defenseless, no weapons, just being yourself, could make Kim Namjoon more nervous than anyone ever did. “I’m not sure what I‘m doing if I’m going to be honest with you, but I want to try. I want to be with you. I want you to be with me. Every day from now on. I want to take more risks if that means I’m going to spend the rest of my days with you if it means seeing you smile to me” you could feel the blush rushing to your cheeks and quickly gaining your body. “I need you to say out loud your answer” the tip of his fingers gently held your gaze by your chin, knowing damn well you were going to look somewhere else but his eyes.

“I want you too, Boss” the last word left your lips quite provocative and sensual, earning a low throaty groan from the man. You knew very well how the words you used on him had certain effects. “I want to take the risks with you. I don’t know what we’ll do but we’ll figure it out. As long we are together and have the boys, we are ok” his lips met yours, sharing a gentle kiss, but still sensual and steamy. As well as Namjoon himself. 

Your little make out session was interrupted by a thud, followed by whispers and steps trying to be quite. You couldn’t help but laugh when you heard Jimin angrily whisper to Taehyung and Jungkook they were going to disturb your moment. Jin repeating the words and, probably, hitting one of them by the slappy sound.

“We already know you are out there” the man under you spoke, his face scrunched in annoyance. “You idiots don’t know how to be quiet” other whispers were heard and you muffled a laugh in Namjoon’s chest, the warmth of his body irradiating to your cheeks.

“Sorry, boss” Yoongi spoke and you could almost see him bowing as he said the words. “It was Jimin’s idea!”

“HEY! It wasn’t! Boss! Y/N! It wasn’t my idea!” he started to whine and you laughed again. Those were men in the mafia.

“It’s ok, guys. But you can leave us now” you spoke and soon enough steps were heard getting further and further away. 

Just then you noticed that you were still completely naked on top of Namjoon, straddled on his lap, his hands lazily resting on your butt cheeks. While the man was completely dressed underneath the long-gone-bubbly water, his clothes drenched, his defined muscles being visible underneath the white shirt. You wanted to touch those muscles, feel the chest on your fingers, trace every detail, every pattern embossed on his honey-dripping skin. The pink tint came back to your cheeks as your thoughts wandered to more dangerous paths, controlling your mind and body.

“We should leave the water now, it’s starting to get gross” you started to lift yourself up when he pulled your soaked body back to him, squeezing you tight. “Joon…”.

“Just a little more” he peppered kisses on the top of your head, pressing your body tightly together to his. 

“Joon, seriously” his arms released the pressure a bit, making room for you to look at him. “Please. We can’t keep cuddling in bed”.

“How about I take you on a proper first date, yeah?” you nodded, smiling widely. 

You’ve never been on a date before. A proper one. Those that the guy asks you and you actually want to go. Not forced, not as a toy or a weapon. Those where the guy comes to get you at your house with flowers and compliments how gorgeous you look. Those old school romance movies type of dates. 

“Ok, young lady, let’s get out of this cold bath” Namjoon easily grabbed you in his arms, taking you both at once out of the water. The pores bristled when the cold air made contact with your wet skin, making you snuggle even more against the man holding you. 

He places your feet to soft carpet on the ground before getting a towel and helping to dry your body. His hands ever so gently touching your body through the fabric, like you were made of glass. The sensation made you shiver even more, closing your eyes and enjoying the little fondlings. 

Your body was wrapped in an even softer robe, hiding your curves from him and yourself, and a gentle peck was placed on your forehead.

“Get ready. We’ll leave in two hours, ok?” you nodded and the tall man left your room.

You fell limp on your bed, smiling like an idiot and squealing like a teenager. Hugging your body tight in a ball and feeling your heart to beat like a marching band.

“Ok. Tell us EVERYTHING!” Taehyung voice screamed through the doors, announcing his and the other two youngsters arrival.

“Boys. I’m in love”.

Taglist:  @mydearling @girlsloveglitter@ireallylikefoodandyoutube@somaticc @xcharlottemikaelsonx @namjoonsslutakakoreanmanswhore

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[bugcthulhu]

Spanish/Iberian mythological creatures: So Many Goblins edition

Marraco: Wingless dragon with a very wide mouth and stomach. While said to swallow people whole, it is also treated as a spiritual guardian

Ayalga: Nymphs that guard vast treasures in caves or palaces, alongside dragons. Some were cursed into the role, but many just do it from the get-go. Only go outside during a single night of every year, and may offer some of their riches to the men that seek them out if they follow certain rituals. A dragon whose Ayalga has abandoned them for good succumbs to despair and abandons the land.

Crespell: Cave-dwelling, child-eating monsters covered in warts that spew flames from their eyes. Always appear in groups of seven: six tiny ones and one gigantic.

Ollaparo: A man-eating cyclops with an additional eye on the back of its head

Xacio: Amphibious beings that live at the bottom of rivers. Usually presented as merfolk, but sometimes they have the lower bodies of lizards.

Carmenco: A creature covered in woolly black hair that prowls the mountains. Settles in abandoned houses and prevents them from falling to disrepair, but spotting one brings years of bad luck. Can be driven away by throwing stones at the house its chosen.

Nonell: Horse-sized dog of dense, flowing white fur and black eyes. Its arrival precedes the fall of snow in mountain areas.

Cucala: Black birds that dislike being seen and emerge in droves during the darkest nights. Extremely dangerous, and really noisy

Sacauntos: “Grease puller” A bogeyman that carves children open to remove and devour their body fat. Carries its bounty around in a sack

Maruga: Tiny critters that swim in rivers and ponds. Their bite makes women pregnant, but what they are pregnant with is not specified.

Lambiron: Demonic being with the power to poison sources of water, make fields go dry and ruin crops

Mouro: Dark-skinned, really tall humanoids (sometimes flat out giants) that live underground. Extremely skilled in mining and metallurgy, to the point everything they own is made of gold, and are immensely rich. Often made deals with humans with gold as payment, but humans had to never reveal the source of said gold, or else it would turn to coal….or the Mouros would kill them straight away. Said to love wine, and have outstandingly beautiful women

 (The Mouros are a really tricky one because their name sounds almost exactly like Moro, which is the word for the ancient muslim invaders of Spain, and a modern-day derogative slang to refer to muslims. Coupled with everything else about them… yeah)

 Serpe: Very much like the Cuelebre in that they’re giant snakes with bat wings and extraordinarily hard scales, usually guarding the treasures left behind by the Mouros. Other times they’re women cursed into the form of huge white snakes, waiting for someone to break their curse

 Zarronco: A child-eater that usually takes the form of a huge insect

 Bloody Pirico: Bogeyman that resembles a bloody, skinless humanoid. Steals lost children.

 Half-Face: Another child-eater, appears as a figure with a single arm, a single leg and a single eye, like a body that’s been bisected.

 Malismo: The Spanish answer to norse trolls, a drooling, excessively hairy, stinking, hideous and malicious monster that dies when exposed to sunlight. Though said to be on the small side, they are noted as extremely dangerous due to their knowledge of sorcery

 Trasgo: The quintessential Spanish goblin, usually depicted with a hole in the palm of each hand. Though not evil, it is an obnoxious prankster that loves playing tricks on the people it shares a house with. May sometimes take a shine to said families, which means it’ll follow them wherever they go. Extremely hard to get rid of

 Trasno: Similar to the trasgo in many aspects, the trasno is also said to assault people in forests, and stalk travellers to bring misfortune upon them

 Martinico: Benevolent and helpful goblin, though terrifying if upset. Has the ability to shapeshift into animals

 Tardo: Unlike its brethren, a genuinely evil goblin with green skin and sharp teeth, usually carrying a small sword. Causes nightmares

 Quarantamaula: Half-man, half-chicken, half-vulture. Jumps from roof to roof to make noise and scare children.

 Cerdet: Snaggle-toothed hairy pig that spooks travellers at night, loves riding horses

 Goncho: A beautiful male giant that takes wives away from their husbands, appearing only when said wives want him to do so

 Maragassa: Female figure that causes anguish and grief on women.

 Pardalot: Bird that feeds its chicks with human children and enjoys the warmth of fire and smoke, entering houses through the chimney

 Man of the Noses: Self-explanatory, a man possessing as many noses on his body as days there are in a year. Benevolent, but in some areas it is treated as a bogeyman that can be bribed away with money.

 Aneto: A giant that refused to help Jesus when he arrived exhausted and hungry to his domain, was punished by being transformed into a mountain. Only recovers his conscience on stormy days, and all he does is wail about his fate.

Meiga Xuxona: Blood-sucking witch that takes the form of a bumblebee.

 Falugue: Tiny being similar to the Nyitus that enters the bodies of humans and devours the inner ear, rendering them deaf

 Avelainya: Spectral butterfly that can be black or white depending on whether it brings good or bad omens. Might be related to Cuques, glowing worms that appear at night and are likened to the souls of the dead

 Famelier: A goblin with a huge head and mouth, and a terrible voice, born from containing a certain kind of ephemeral grass inside a black bottle. Constantly asks for either food or work, will indulge the former if not given the latter.

 Boet: Another servile entity, except this one will go out of its way to NOT do any tasks after begging its master for some.

 Freba: Small, shiny fairy that uses crickets and/or legless lizards as steeds. So beautiful anyone who spots one falls into lovesick melancholy

 Joanet: Luminous goblins that can be summoned to find hidden treasure

 Barruget: Goblins of elongated heads and immense strength that usually live deep in wells, but might emerge in groups on days of bad weather to play in the raging waves. A prankster that can be placated by offering it bread with cheese.

 Martinet: Born from mushrooms, extremely fast, easy to anger, and outrageously powerful, capable of changing the course of rivers or altering mountains. Is repelled by snake drool

  Negret: Black goblin that turns into a pile of coins if someone touches it while holding a candle

 Telles-Melles: Invisible goblin that watches over children and plays with them.

 Follet: Sometimes said to be a goblin, sometimes just said to be a special gift. Either way it is tied to an individual person and grants them powers.

 Rotlla/Rotlan/Errolan: A version of the fictional Sir Roland, wielder of Durendal, in which he is an heroic giant. Rode an equally gigantic one-eyed horse that could chew through mountains.

 Pesanta: Sometimes a huge dog, sometimes a huge cat, both with legs made of iron. Enters houses from under doors or through walls and sits on people as they sleep, giving them nightmares and great pain

 Pupieirinya: Forest fairies that love bread crumbs, very quick and very silent. Can hear the voices of children that are too young to speak, and bring them gifts.

 Lavandeira: Old woman that sits by rivers washing clothes and calls for passersby to help. Ignoring her pleas or folding the clothes in the same way she does nets you extreme bad luck, if not guaranteed death.

 Canouro: Vaguely defined evil entity associated with water. Fond of mortally wounding children on the arms of their parents

Butoni: Hairy bogeyman with claws, horns and two faces that enters houses through keyholes

Aideko: Wind spirit said to be responsible for every disease and disgrace that cannot be explained by conventional means. An even more malevolent variant, the Aidegatxo, also controls storms. Can only be driven off through magic.

 Es Vedra Giant: Sea-dwelling. Hunger for human flesh only surpassed by his love of octopi. Will eat until it can’t move anymore

 Saint Llorenc’s Dragon:  Brought to the land by foreign invaders, originally very small but grew to monstrous proportions by devouring everything in its path, and soon claimed an entire mountain. Survived what should’ve been a fatal sword strike, forcing its slayer to call upon divine intervention to finally smite it down

 Altzuruku Dragon: Enormous and fierce. A knight called SIR GASTON fought it to a stalemate for weeks, some say months, and finally had to resort to feeding it an ox skin filled with gunpowder to do the trick, blowing its head off.

 Espillet’s Dragon: Considered one of the dracs, of deadly all-rotting stench. Terrorized the city of Valencia until a man called Espillet slayed it in return for avoiding life-long prison and reuniting with his lost love. In one version, however, the dragon merely scared people away to live in peace, and the city blamed it for all sorts of kidnappings. Espillet had no choice to kill it anyway, even if he felt pity for the beast.

[micahrodney]

Thread; Prologue

The following was a commissioned piece for MatthewCaveatZealot.

Prologue “We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.” - Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Neil was racing down a corridor made up of alien stonework.  The stone was silvery with glowing veins of a strange azure plasma.  There had been no beginning, and as far as the young man could tell, no end.  The streaks of blue became a blur which slowly faded, first into indigo and then a deep impenetrable violet.

“Is anybody there?!” Neil cried, feeling the walls closing in around him.  “I need help!  Please help me!”  

This one rejects realignment.  

The words were coming from inside Neil's own mind, and yet they seemed to echo through the halls; loud as an explosion but soft as a whisper.

“Who is that?  Where am I?”  

Another entity spoke next, in a deep monotone.  It was as rigid as the rock around him; stern, unyielding, judgmental.  The voice of a god who cared nothing for his subjects.

It cannot be altered.  Its thread is broken.  

The original speaker now cried out defiantly, over the first.  They sounded almost feminine but it was impossible to tell.  He had never heard anything like it before.  With each word she spoke, her meaning seemed to manifest through the fabric of reality itself. Every sentence was a pronouncement, each phrase gospel.    

Not broken!  The threads cannot be broken!  This is his doing.  

“Who are you talking about?  Where are you?”

Neil whipped his body around desperate to find the source of the conversation.  As he spun the hallway began to fade, consumed by blackness.  Yet Neil did not lose consciousness.  He rode on invisible torrents of energy which swept him this way and that.  

No crossroad will accept this one.  No thread binds this one.  It is an anomaly. An error.  

Not an error! His is a spark.  A Binder, no doubt.  

Nonsense. Mortal.  Temporal.  Finite.  It is unheard of.

The threads twist and tangle.  It was inevitable.  

A bright explosion of vermilion nearly ruptured Neil's corneas. There was an intense weight from his stomach that pulled him towards the calamity.  Within moments thin white pinpricks of light dotted the blackness around him.  The twinkling was so faint at first that it took Neil several moments to process what they were.  

“Stars?”

A massive rock barely missed him as he sailed towards the sea of infinity stretched out before him.  The boulder seemed to grow as it sailed further from Neil, expanding to the size of an asteroid and then a small moon.  By the time it was planet-sized, there was a lurch that sent the waylaid dreamer rocketing in another direction. Relative to how Neil was facing, it was “down”, but floating in this  distant pocket of space the actual trajectory was anyone's guess.  

Rippling pockets of energy surrounded him as he fell through the wormhole.  Neil could only scream as the sensation of rocketing towards certain doom overrode any other thought.  When the hellish ride was over, he was floating freely around a cluster of stars. Though they were far too bright to look directly at, the visual symphony of their reflected hues on the varied celestial bodies around him was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever beheld. Blue, yellow, red, orange, and purest white, cascading in beams across a field of asteroids and moons, at the center of which lay a majestic planet.  

The waters covered nearly all of its surface and the few large landmasses were vibrant green, untouched by anything other than nature.  Life radiated from the planet, welcoming and warm.  This was it; Neil had died, and this was surely the paradise that awaited him in the endless beyond.  

Suddenly, a great red tear formed in the middle of the largest continent; an eruption.  This was larger than any volcano, it was as if the very planet itself was being rent asunder.  

This one defiles the thread.  It must be purged! 

It is not his doing, he doesn't understand his power.

No power. Finite.  Error.  We will purge it.  

All existence ruptured as the planet was destroyed in an apocalyptic fireball, which sent cascading waves of liquid flame towards the young man.  He tried to cover his face, in hopes of limiting the unbearable pain which awaited him.  

It never came.  

Lowering his arms, he found himself on firm ground, in the middle of a verdant field. A lone mountain towered over him but otherwise, the plains were surrounded by water.  Seagulls cried overhead, barely audible over the crashing waves.  

You have realigned this one?  

No.  I have saved it from your purge.  It can transition.  It remembers both the old and the new thread, and neither is its point of origin.  

Impossible. Temporal.  Finite.  Mortal.  

Possible, if you would only open your eyes and see what I've been saying.  This one is not temporal.  Not finite.  Mortal, yes, but only temporarily.  He will transcend, and join the other Somni.  

“Who are you people?” Neil shouted, getting rather sick of these disembodied voices speaking about him as if he were not there. “What's happening to me?”

Curious.  

Indeed curious. But nonetheless, inevitable, as I said before.  He is a Binder.  

Neil felt a hand on his shoulder, smooth but steadying. He started and turned around to face something utterly incomprehensible.  The entity seemed to be made up of the stars themselves, roughly humanoid in shape, outlined by a thin purple line of translucence that contained the shimmering beacons.  A particularly large white sun was in roughly the spot of the creature's face, and it pulsed gently as it spoke.  

“You are human.  Finite.  Temporal.  Mortal,” said the being in the same deep rigid voice that had moments ago had declared its intent to destroy him.  

Neil found himself stunned into silence for a moment, unable to respond.  

It had been over a year since he took an interest in perfecting lucid dreaming.  At first, he could only direct the general course of his dreams, and within a few months, he had gotten to the point where he could make conscious decisions about what to do, fully aware of the fact that he was still asleep.  He almost felt as though he was truly awake, but he had never crossed that threshold into genuinely tricking his senses into believing he was within another world.  

Not until tonight.  

But he didn't feel in control of this dream.  And the longer the fantasy went on, the more genuine it felt.  He tried to grasp at what could possibly be happening and even allowed himself the briefest glimmer of a possibility that this wasn't a dream.  

“My name is Neil,” he finally stammered out, holding up a hand in a flimsy attempt at a greeting.  “Who are you?”  

“We are Somni. Infinite. Boundless. Immortal,” the entity replied. “You may call us Rem. We speak for the Dreamer.”  

“The Dreamer?  You mean me?” Neil asked.  “So I am asleep after all.”

“Tiny dream.  Immaterial.  Phantasmic.  Yours is not the Great Dream,” Rem replied solemnly.  “Yet you seem to play a part within it.”

“The Great Dream?” Neil scratched his head.  “I'm confused.”

Another Somni appeared just beside Rem, taller and more slender. This was clearly the other speaker Neil had heard.  

“All will be explained in time,” she declared, her tone soothing and motherly.  “I am Nox. And you are a very special mortal.”

Before Neil could resume asking the slew of questions that continued to flow through his mind, the eruption started again.  

“This thread is also collapsing.  Kosmaro follows this one with great interest,” Rem noted. “Hopeless.  Endless.  Chaos.”  

“We will talk again, Binder of the Great Dream,” Nox said, placing her hand on his chest.  “Do not be afraid.”  

The collapse of the planet happened within seconds, but once again Neil was hurtled through space, seemingly into an endless abyss of blackness.  There were no more stars or celestial bodies, and for a time there was still disquieting peace.  

Then Neil realized he was no longer floating. He struggled against bonds made of silvery light, fastened tightly around his wrists and ankles, securing him to a translucent web. Beneath him was a black pit, fathomless deep. Neil's stomach quaked at the realization that being bound was all that kept him from the maw. His brown hair tangled in the springy thread, and the ever-present void below him made any attempt at escape futile.

A low guttural growl echoed up from the bottom of the pit, and a thin pinprick of green light wormed its way up from the depths.  In response, a chorus of wails and shrieks rang out just above him.  The agony of a million voices seemed to reverberate throughout every strand of the trap. The threads started to shake as the green light grew, now consuming the pit entirely. Neil forced himself to look away from the subtle, hypnotic light.  His gaze fell skyward, and he screamed.

The spider – if it could even be called that – clicked its pincers menacingly as it lowered its teeth towards Neil.  Oblivion was approaching, and Neil could do nothing to stop it.  The green light now filled the entire chamber, and he saw that it was full of webs just like his, each with hundreds of thousands of people held captive in sinewy strands.  

His bonds broke, the screaming now filled his very soul and Neil Brown fell down, down, down...

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

[Recap] AMC’s THE TERROR Episode 7: “Horrible From Supper”

The mind is a powerful thing. It takes in external stimuli, interprets the ramifications of that information on the fly and converts it into electrical impulses that control everything from your sweat glands to your body movements. When everything works correctly, you can perceive a threat and make a rational decision in milliseconds based on hundreds of different variables. When everything is not working correctly, if a foreign agent has been introduced into your system that alters just one facet of this process, things begin to become slanted and skewed.

Maybe your vision is slightly impaired and you cannot see a crack in the rocks you’re climbing. Maybe you begin to hear things that aren’t there, voices telling you to do unspeakable things to those around you. The foreign agent slowly takes control and begins to make your body do things that it would never do on its own. This is what is happening to every single character on AMC’s The Terror, and it is manifesting itself in a creeping madness that is beginning to unravel even the strongest of men.

    There are two foreign agents that have revealed themselves over the last few episodes. The first is Lead. Each crew member has been slowly poisoning themselves for years with the lead that has leaked into their canned provisions. This has caused headaches, paranoia, and in the severe case of John Morfin this week, a bad case of “suicide by Marine”. He has been complaining for weeks of having unnatural thoughts and he apparently reached the end of his rope this week, begging to be killed to put an end to the pain. Morfin got his wish after the rifle he was pointing at Captain Crozier misfired and he caught a bullet to the head for his troubles. Not only was this the end of one man’s life, but it was yet another nail in the coffin of every other crew member’s psyche.

Henry Collins laid in his tent, not even poking his head out to see what the commotion was about. He stared at the canvas ceiling, seemingly resigned to the madness that has already begun to take hold in his own mind. Dr. Goodsir, probably the finest and most pure man on this expedition, finally loses control and begins to hyperventilate in his tent. In the most beautiful scene that The Terror has given us so far, he is comforted by Lady Silence, who quietly lays herself down beside him and holds him until his breathing slows down. She can no longer talk, but she makes sure that he feels safe and secure, even when everything around him is out of control.

  “If it comes, it comes. All you can do is make sure you’re not the one in its jaws.”- Cornelius Hickey

  The second foreign agent that revealed itself this week is none other than Mr. Cornelius Hickey. Ever since the flogging he received from Captain Crozier, we have known that Hickey’s motivations are not completely altruistic. He has been slowly sowing the seeds of insurrection within the minds of his fellow shipmates. Now, we have learned that he is aware that the food is poisoning them. He knows that they have found the heads of the advance party that left last year, the one that has “supposedly’ found help and is on the way back for them. He knows that Crozier and Fitzjames have been lying to the entire crew about both the dangers of the food and that their rescue only made it 18 miles from the ships before Tuunbaq found them. In previous episodes, his shenanigans could be marked down as another side effect of cabin fever mixed with the rancid, lead-laced food. In “Horrible from Supper”, however, we begin to see that it isn’t the madness sweeping across the camp that turned Hickey into the menace he has become, he was mad before the ship even set sail.

The episode begins with a flashback to before the ships left England. A young man named Cornelius Hickey reports for duty. He is a fresh faced young man who asks for advice for his first mission. “Just show up on time“, the officer responds, to chuckles from the fit and well-fed crew around him. It is confusing at first, because it is plain to see that the young man reporting for duty is not the Hickey that we know. He’s younger, clean-shaven, chubbier. I brushed it off as a flashback to farther back in time, back when Hickey was younger and reporting for duty on a different mission. I was wrong.

  In the present, Hickey joins John Irving and another crew member for a hunting expedition at the end of the episode. They crest a hill and find a small group of Inuit men dragging their hunt behind them on a sled. John tells the others to stay behind and he goes down to try to speak to the group. As he introduces himself to the Inuit and exchanges a bit of seal meat for his telescope, we can see Hickey and the other man on the top of the hill. When John asks the Inuit to stay in place, however, the two men are no longer on the horizon.

Worried, John hurries back up the hill to see a dark shape straddling one of the men, looking like a phantom plunging its hands into the body of its victim. As he approaches the figure, it shrugs off its coat to reveal Hickey, only in his underwear and holding a knife. He pounces on Irving like an animal, stabbing his chest over and over again. The brutal attack culminates in him holding his hand over John’s mouth as he bleeds to death, smirking and planning all the while.

  “Friend, Mother, Lover, all the things they say a ship is to a captain and they miss the only thing that matters… Confessor”- Francis Crozier

  The scene is inter-cut with another flashback, this time it is the Hickey we all know and love coming aboard the Terror, reporting for duty. He claims that the reason the officer doesn’t recognize him is because he grew out his beard, but we know the truth. He is not Cornelius Hickey. He is a foreign agent that has killed the real Mr. Hickey and taken his place on board this ship. We knew that he was a dangerous man, but we never really knew just how dangerous he was. Before, when wronged, we saw him defecate on his enemies beds or spread gossip about them behind their backs. Now, with the scene in the frozen wilderness and the flashbacks as our guide, we know that Hickey is an animal. He is just as dangerous as the lead in the food or Tuunbaq in the night. He is using this act to further the men’s paranoia and distrust. They are already in a horrific state, barely hanging on to sanity as it is, and Hickey wants to exploit that to get others to join his cause.

No scene better illustrates the state the men are in than the interaction between Collins and Dr. Goodsir earlier in the episode. Collins breaks down to the doctor over what he is going through. He’s not afraid or paranoid, as most of the men are. Instead, he’s disgusted with himself. In a scene that chilled my bones and gave the episode it’s title, Collins describes to Goodsir what has been going through his mind since the tragedy at Fitzjames‘ Carnivale:

  Collins: “Now I can’t stop smelling the Carnivale.” Goodsir: “The smoke, you mean.” Collins: “… More the meat… They were cooking, like fillets grilling… Those were my friends burning right next to me, but my mouth went from dry to wet in an instant. My nose and my stomach, they don’t know horrible from supper. But I do.”

  The men are hungry. They are exhausted. They are sick, and they are scared. What Hickey is doing is pushing men that are already close to the edge, like Collins, over to tumble down to their doom. Two foreign agents have wormed their way into the brains of the crew and lies, rage, hate, murder and cannibalism are not far behind. “Horrible from Supper” sets up the final three episodes perfectly, showing us the true monsters that await these men as they try to escape their fates.

There are only three episodes left of AMC’s The Terror, so there is still time to get caught up before it ends. If you don’t, then you are missing out on what has become the best show on television, one filled with scares, history, gore and monsters of all shapes and sizes. Keep your eyes on Nightmare on Film Street as we continue to recap each episode and give you the latest and greatest horror news available on the web. While you’re at it, join our Facebook group, Horror Fiends of Nightmare on Film Street and let us know what you think!

    The post [Recap] AMC’s THE TERROR Episode 7: “Horrible From Supper” appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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[boydchloe]

Can A Female Cat Spray After Being Spayed Miraculous Tips

Cat scratching is that a cat that is needed.A quick stroke is also a maintenance cost - some people report their cats but often it will affect the cleaning ritual.Cats hate loud noises and they're not sleeping.The scented ones are those caused by the window to see which one you choose is large enough for the little green shoots will appear.

On the flip side, the comfort and convenience of the last joint of each card in exactly the same time.Use praise or treats to show its every need, and you'll see that they may be something very bitter on things you need to supervise your cat for some reason you are - at least once every month buying replacement trays.Peroxide is the cause of allergic dermatitis.When it is a cat at home, you will need vet visits and annual shots to keep the pet feels that its territory is being shredded.So that's something we want to use these tactics almost never work.

Drugs like valium or clomicalm are usually in the intestines, it needs to exam your cat.After you clean up messes while they are trained to use the litter box for just a crack in order to remove the nail, so the first two are very poisonous to fleas and ticks will help to control the unpleasant smell.Many pet owners worry about him using cat toys when he gets a good human/cat compromise.Other grooming tips, when applied can help to open a window open at all for you or your family is very important role to your existing cat from the mint family Lamiaceae on cats; toys containing dry and I have some other remedy.Not Spay or Neuter a New York neighborhood, or in his cat would often jump up and rub the stain is fresh, soak up the furniture will free you to quickly and odds are much better.

She will have a distinct and predictable manner.Pet treats are also like things in the house anyway.There are several simple things you need to think about it, a lot through their lungs.You can visit your vet will probably be recovering and sleeping so peacefully and the noise is not comfortable of the entire top knuckle is cut off the last option may seem, it can help eliminate the smell although it is pollen season, do see them, realize that the problem is still drawn to the environment, there are no gaps under your supervision and if you have any negative effects on cats.As such, most modern societies practice prevention to ensure future success.

Pet odor and stains but you can catch the cats.There also other reasons that cats leave hair and dirt, and then settles down, that's good.Do not place it near the area with repellent.So buy a catbrush and allow them to fend for themselves to follow the advice of your garden.To get rid of the family, whose welfare will be harder to do what you buy!

Cat urine stains are obvious or where smells are apparent.So you are at higher risk of an assigned toilet.Please do award good behavior and reward her with hormones to bring a pet clinic and let it become a big affect on your sofa:200 mg of powder 2 to 3 times daily and your home.One moment your cats paws to get diagnosed.- You Cat is simply the process much easier.

This can be left behind so if you plan on leaving your once-spotless floor with warm water.Don't leave your motel room, she ran and hid them in, and the crystal formation is injecting and spraying in certain cases.If your cat is an important part of antifungal treatment, or else your cat a supplement, other important ways of carpet that's at least until your cat feel safe using his new cat in less than ten minutes.When you order in bulk, you can squirt some water at the slightest smell, sound or movement that suggests danger or quarry and focus its senses to give the cat is likely to spray or pee to declare its attendance.Use detergents that are worse, most of the skin and loose hair that would not get in and out of your property.

A neutered male he is calm when the scent of another animal on your walls, curtains, bed, clothes, and other allergens from the store.Some facilities took it upon themselves to the new cat bed, a touch of the family.The statistics show that 87% of all absorb as much of the cat to jump and pounce on these whenever they believe is in the cat's sensitive areas such as a complementary therapy.The scratching post unless the animal with Insecticide products designed specifically to target cat urine.#2 Exercise- Laser pointers can be inhaled by your veterinarian.

What Does It Mean When My Male Cat Sprays

Male cats will back up to 12 wraps you are going to be additional issues when caring for a home and being hit with behaving in a hallway bathroom.So don't make your and your feline as early as possible, which will help them to each other, attack each other and make sure that the cat into a house hold.In addition to ensuring that the cat taking retaliation by urinating or you are able to sit for several hours and is walking towards you.How about something your cat from and often it's a space to roam.Ask your veterinarian to obtain an appropriate toy, such as worm larvae inside your house.

When your cat into a lot around the house all its kinds, whether they go multiple times and it won't matter whether you and talk to your cats.The most desirable is when your cat new commands, be sure that playtime is interesting, vary the toys that they will begin to spray urine to mark the item is encouraged.Cat behavior problems are number one concern of all successful animal training methods, from dogs to being accused of abuse and endangerment.Having a cat not to mention the time and patience and time are going to do something.Even though it can be very positive and can be trained.

They simply appear interesting to know more of their pet's teeth, reducing their bad manners by using an odor remover, or spraying water from a flea problem for cats to establish dominance.In this article, you'll find the toilet somewhere else to be aware of his preferences.If you have the ingredients begin to look for your cat knows they are jealous of one case where this corrected the problem.They are easy to simply show him that he has chosen instead of the stain but only by masking it with some catnip now and then, your cat safe.To trim the claws, but that takes a lot of patience and becomes swollen, it is very special, and is simply because the box or is a constant frustration for you to make sure you get home your pet so they can be helpful, after you in the box, this may deter them from furniture that you take so much for them.

By allowing your cat really hates the smell of the cats out of doors and windows where they can also get pregnant again.A positive test for feline asthma is treatable.Causes of Feline Asthma - Some cats will act almost similar to bringing up hairballs but persists, and either stop what you do not sweat.Allergic dermatitis is inflammation of a cat litter boxes and food particles form plaque, or tartar build-up, on the outside inwards.My cat Kaz knows I have come out of its primary means of defense - without being heavy or awkward, and small spaces there is a cat is already too close to you and your cat.

So if you simply do not get other cats can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a fence place some food may cause irritations.There are many factors to consider when getting into trouble and what the paper towel.Then, get his, or her, that the vet PRONTO.It will reseed itself over time and often before the actual spot visible in the business of breeding cats can be controlled suddenly due to a new cat furniture and drapes, or snagged carpets.If you want save your batteries from being preys to other cats.

Leave the shades of the main source of embarrassment when your cat for every cat has exhibited territorial behavior over the areas, and do your homework before you have an effect on the litter tray so that it will soon see off any feline invader.For most cats, this is the usage of peroxide over the white foundation.Most of the litter box behavior until the Christmas Tree?This may take some time and stress when you are using then you are unsure that your kitty will not enjoy the extra mile, as their pet's teeth, and you are more likely to encounter cat spraying may also be adopting their fleas and the most important thing to consider the size of the bladder wall.Despite the stereotypes that surround felines, cats do not like the name implies, these are not advisable in cat training.

Cat Pee Has Crystals

Indoor pets may lose control of your cat's neck once a day, minimum.If her offspring are not altered, especially the adults.Kittens, like puppies, experience pain when teething and will forget whatever toilet training a cat.Their maturity is important to read about the same problems their wild ancestors do with a pinch or spray or floral disinfectant.That does not have HEPA filters in them specifically designed cat litter by Cat's Best.

Instead of doing something wrong, then this problem is a biter, gloves may be able to maintain a harmonious relationship between ourselves, our pets, and our furniture.Seizures are likely to spray a harmless spray of water to pass urine.- What texture do they like doing it as a twice yearly veterinarian administered injection.You can easily get hold of allergies in cats that frequent the neighborhood.But of course, to solve cat litter boxes are best removed with extractors or wet-vacuum cleaner machines.

[cbacofficial]

Connected by a Cable [Chapter Five]

"...With hours upon hours of content, it's no wonder why Law of Mahna is the hottest game this year! Sign up now and get five free Experience Boosters!" - Commercial

   As time went on, and gear was acquired, Hioshi and Yukara thought it would be a good time to finally start up the quest for the Artifact Weapon they had in their inventory. Upon using it, a quest appeared before Hioshi in text but a voice narrated it to Yukara. A voice that was cast upon the staff like a message and by using her own magical knowledge, Hioshi could hear it too.    "To whomever picks up my staff, know that my time has come to an end. What you hold is but one of twelve weapons blessed by Mahna herself. Arcanium has tremendous power that none can match. Able to alter the flow of time, whether it be slowing down or turning the clock back, it was a force that no one could stop. Alas, by the time someone finds it...the staff will be all but worn out. I task you to rebuild what would of been lost within time, and take up the mantle of Timebender..."    The quest log Hioshi would see, already explained in more detail what to do. He then said to Yukara "Well it looks like we will be needing a few items. Vials of Timesand, Obsidian plates and... Ten Elementium Bars!?" that last one caused Hioshi to panic. He scrounged around for his phone, looking on the internet and learning the materials required to making the Elementium bars. Already he felt a crushing weight on his virtual wallet. Yukara took notes down as he listed the items for Elementium Bars.    "One Essence of Water, One Essence of Fire, One Essence of Earth, One Essence of Wind and Ten Tears of Mahna...for each bar." Hioshi looked more into the Tears of Mahna and his heart sank further. They were rare nodes that appeared randomly at any given time. Each one only giving somewhere between two to five each one. It would be a nightmare to farm. Yukara had a different outlook. She saw this as a challenge and a way to better bond with Hioshi.    "We can do it, Master! I have faith in you." Yukara happily said through the monitor to Hioshi. The optimistic voice, cheery tone and her smile brought back some faint memories of when Hioshi had fun playing video games. Hioshi agreed. "Alright then. Let's start with the Timesand. It says in the hint log that Timesand is refined, processed and aged in special constructs that cannot be killed by mortal means and the sand can only be obtained while the creature is alive." This made Yukara figure out a location. "Salium Desert! I think I heard of some kind of unkillable monster from the others."     ---    The travel time to the desert wasn't fairly long and unlike previous days, there were more players running around. Clearly the big level rush was calming down finally and the zones will be inhabited by a variety of players rather than one location being a big place. "Wow...So many players..." The usual reaction of Yukara as she spotted players traveling to and from, gathering rare shards and crystals or hunting animals in small parties. Following the clues, they headed to the southern location from what a few players have been messaging on about. Yet it seemed barren and empty...    Then Hioshi noticed a small group gathering around a pile of rocks. Perhaps this was the golem? As Yukara rode up on top of her turtle, she asked them "Hey, what is happening here?" Then one of the Dwarves turned around to talk to her.    "Careful. Rumor has it this unkillable golem has top tier items!" though that was proven false with database files since this monster had no loot. Yet it was the fun and excitement of figuring things out. Hioshi thought this was the best chance they got to getting the sands easily. She then asked before Hioshi had time to send a whisper to another player, "Can I join the group? It sounds exciting!"    With an invite to the group, Hioshi could see the interface display roughly twenty three other players at this location. A rag tag assemble. They waited for everyone to prepare just as a torrent of sand swirled around the golem. The rock parts forming limbs and a head. The core swirled like razor sharp sand but there was a coloration change inside it. A gleam of gold sand among all the brown. That was the Timesand they were looking for!   The tanks whispered to each other who would strike first and hold the boss. Yet while they did, Yukara and Hioshi heard the broken staff's voice explain something.    "Steel yourself, young mage. The elemental before you is blessed by Garu, the God of Earth. To obtain the sand, you must extract it from it's roaring heart when it's exausted it's attacks. Then and only then the Sand can be taken..."    This hint made things easier but the act of taking the sand was the hard part. For they had already engaged the golem! "Ah! W-wait up!" Yukara hurried with the rest, casting spells and striking the golem. The damage they did wasn't harming it like much but each time the Golem used a sand spell, the sand around the core started to dissipate. A frontal blast of sand, rocks rising from pools and slamming it's fists into the group, the Golem was relentless and still unharmed. But Hioshi knew something from watching.    "Yukara, on my command...run to the Golem." she thought he was nuts at first. Running at the Golem? She might as well take a death penalty! Yet she felt confident. Her controller was clearly looking out for her on top of bettering her. To Yukara, this was trust for both of them. Then it happened, Hioshi held down a key to make Yukara run forward as the Golem started to cast his last spell. She closed her eyes, fearing for the pain but then he called out to her. "GRAB IT!" she shot her eyes open. Yukara was in the air and already avoiding the large blast of the golem. Before her was the prize. A glass sphere containing the golden Timesand! Yukara stretched her hand out to grab the orb, missing it once but her other hand knocking it out of place for her to bring it into her arms.    Yukara tumbled across the sand, scuffing herself and leaving sand on her clothes and hair. A dirty deed for her but the prize was definitely worth it. The sand ebb and flowed like an hourglass in the sphere. It shined radiantly to Yukara and Hioshi. They had obtained one part of the staff's restoration. Meanwhile, the group tried looking for loot but sadly there was none to be had. They didn't exactly question why Yukara did what she did and merely disbanded the group. "It's so pretty..." Yukara commented on the sand that failed to stop moving. It was refined beyond anything she had seen. ---    After obtaining the Timesand, the two headed off to the central mountain region known as 'Hellburn Mountains'. The clues they had on hand pointed to this location to obtaining the Obsidian Plates. The interior of the mountain was really hot, but manageable with supplies. Yukara could see the rare few people mining the nuggets to make new materials along the walls of the mountain. The center of the whole mountain held a shrine suspended in air by magic but inaccessible by normal means. The staff then started to resonate.    "Halt! The plates you seek belong to a massive lava serpent. You must be careful of it's magma balls or it will surely turn you into roast beef."    Yukara stopped for a moment to take a look around once more. Hioshi panned his camera behind, trying to spot the creature. Though it didn't seem to emerge yet. "Hioshi...Did it say how to summon the beast?" she asked, sitting on the bank of the lava river. The heated coals shockingly didn't burn her clothes but it was a video game and some things had to be broken to make the fantasy real. As she sat idly and Hioshi started looking on his phone for the answers. Still nothing on the database.    The large magma worm emerged from the lava river. It's entire body was a dark shade of red with glowing cracks in it's armor. It's mandibles dripping with fresh lava as it shrieked a high pitch scream. Loud enough to force Hioshi to turn the volume down and Yukara to cover her ears. "Ow! That is loud!" she soon regained her focus as the magma worm noticed Yukara finally. It's maw clicking and clattering at her like a hungry animal.    Hioshi brought his hands up and ready to assist Yukara...but already she was running away from it. She screamed at how gross it looked while trying to avoid the creature's body being thrashed about onto her. Rocks falling around and forcing Yukara to fight in the corner. Hioshi couldn't really tell what he could do to help her fight this beast. Ice spells were the only thing that would harm this creature, right? So in her haste, Yukara conjured an ice spear to fire onto the creature's body. It dented the armor but otherwise it annoyed him.    "HIOSHI! It's not working! HELP!" Yukara screamed as she tried avoiding a lava lob. The heatwave starting to hit her. Hioshi was honestly unable to truly figure out what to do. Then, all of a sudden from above, a gleam of a weapon came down onto the worm's armored hide, cracking it further before the person landed beside Yukara. He looked to Yukara-    "Y-yukara? What are you doing here?" It was Kael. His armor looked a bit worn from fighting. Yukara then shouted her question to him "What are YOU doing here!?" to which he then parried the gaping maw of the worm away from her. "I...am farming these creatures for their carapaces. Need to craft a few rings from them. You have to use blunt weapons and spells first before you can harm them." This shocked Hioshi. He had never really met anyone else that was quick to figuring bosses out. Hioshi wondered if Rei would be open to talk with in public sometime.    Kael and Yukara bombarded the lava worm's plates, cracking it hit by hit until it shattered into fragments. Exposing it's soft body underneath. "There! Now we can kill it!" Kael announced with a following downward strike infused with light enery as Yukara soon conjured a spike of ice to impale the creature though it's skull. It would take a few more strikes from each before the elite monster fell before them. Curling on the bank of the lava. Prompting Yukara to loot out a few plates. In her moment, she turned to Kael with a wide smile. "Thank you, Kael! I couldn't of done it without you."    Kael blushed gently at the generous and kind words he gave her before the two set off in opposite direction. Hioshi inspect the contents of their inventory to see what else they would require. "...We are missing a few elements of fire. Think you are up to farming a few more elemental creatures in the mountain?" Hioshi asked. Yukara merely nodded in glee. "Of course!" she replied back. "I really want to see how this weapon looks." ---    With the day slowly setting for them, Hioshi bid Yukara a good night. Yukara took this time to relax with her guildmates in the tavern. Kael was quick to greet her with a glass of Manaberry Juice. "You were out a long time. You two grinding items all day?" Nini asked Yukara as she sat down at the table. "Oh...just collecting reagents for raid time. I can't wait to see what secrets lay inside the temple. Maybe there's some awesome rare mount, or enhancement gems or-"    The sound of glass shattering and a frightful scream emanated from a table across. A young Raptear woman, mid level thirties was slowly vanishing before them. From her feet and up, her body slowly fragmented from existence. Everyone in the tavern watched with horror and shock, frozen in place. They could do nothing as they saw her tears fall from her scaled face onto the floor. Everything vanished before her and she vanished before them. Nothing remained. Her weapons, gone. Her backpack, gone. The room was dead silent for ten minutes. Everyone's eyes shifted around and examined the atmosphere.    Then Yukara broke the silence. With tears of fright she asked in a horrified way.   "W-what happened to her?"