#darkfusion

[freshthoughts2020]

[shiraghertner]

One of my hobbies- Dance to a certain music & then at home to put a totally different one.

I love to practice between the Sunday classes. To be with myself and get lost in dance & music.

That's my happy & safe space.

Soon... great things for the studio

#WildMoonStudio #dance #dancer #Dancerlife #performer #danceclass #dancestudio #fusiondance #TribalFusion #ImprovDance #Improvisation #darkfusion #TheatricalFusionDance #floorwork #technique #HappyPlace #balance

[talonoa]

Written for mercenary prompt #2 found here! Talonoa's Perspective

The Darkfuse Cartel stood no chance against well-trained mercenaries. Even with their guns and robotic guards, Talonoa and his crew were a well-oiled machine at this point. Their rooftop snipers kept the air clear while the fighters on the ground thoroughly combed the streets. The wounded were taken to the Incontinental Hotel where a wide variety of healers were stationed and at the ready for whatever may come their way. 

Manageable chaos.

Unfortunately, that feeling did not last for long, as expected. Talon turned his icy gaze to the sky as Nikki the Fixer flew in, a few bullets from the nearby snipers pinged off her impenetrable shield as she came to hover a street away. He could barely make out her words directed at Gazlowe over the commotion, but that maniacal cackle was hard to miss. She was enjoying this, and it was about to get even more fun for her. Not good. 

Dozens of drones began to swarm the area and while the snipers did a good job in bringing them down quickly, it didn’t matter. Within them contained monstrosities made of black blood itself. The various blobs and humanoid-shaped creatures began to take form, some heading towards the various groups of fighters while others were directed to attack the Incontinental Hotel and destroy everyone inside.

He grumbled out a soft ‘fuck’ under his breath before shouting out to the remainder of his nearby crew, “WE NEED TO PROTECT THE HOTEL!” They formed up and began to fight their way towards their base. While they had done a good job thus far of avoiding the dangerous substance, fighting monsters literally made of it didn’t bode well, especially for the melee fighters. They did their best to clear a path, trapping the monstrosities in place with various magics to allow the ranged crew to take care of them all while avoiding too much black blood splatter. There were too many to keep being that delicate about it if they wanted to reach the hotel in time to warn those within.

Talon’s eyes flashed with rage as he twirled his halberd above his head, slicing it across the space in front of him. Streaks of jagged ice and glacial winds extended in a vast cone, freezing the monstrosities to their core and in place. Dicenne and some of the other frontline crew didn’t even need to be told as they raised their shields and smashed their way through the frozen enemies, sending shattered pieces of black blood in every direction.

Eventually, they were able to reach one of the open sides of the hotel, the path created in their wake already closing back up behind them with more of the horrible creations, cutting their crew in half as the back part of the group wasn’t able to make it to the door. They would be fine, he told himself. There was no other option. He ordered those who did follow through to guard the door and try to reunite with the rest of their crew while he sprinted inside to warn the healers:

“MOVE EVERYONE TO THE SECOND FLOOR!” Shouted Commander Dal’shula, “WE WILL HOLD THEM OFF FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!”

He pushed his way through the crowds, trying to find the area where he knew their healers to be stationed, gaze frantically seeking Naralinthe’s golden hair among the swarming bodies. A sudden wave of blinding magic nearby caught his attention as screams rang out and a few people were sent flying backward. He muscled his way towards the commotion only to see his lovely lioness with a scalpel in hand about to stab a stunned worgen. What the fuck.

He grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms down, “NARALINTHE, STOP! What are you doing?!” His gaze darted between her, the worgen, and Nahilvi in confusion as to what was going on here. The madness had clearly begun to settle into those touched by the Black Blood, and manageable chaos had very abruptly turned into absolute chaos. 

The worgen was surely infected. They knew this could happen. Was she infected?  At this point, many likely had some level of infection.  Except him… And he wasn’t sure how that could be.

He spun her around, cupped her cheeks, and growled in her face, “He needs treatment, not an execution! Pull yourself together!” There was no understanding here, only anger. Later he may regret that, but for now he had the rest of his team and everyone else inside this hotel to worry about as well.

@themercenaries @themadamelioness @dicenne @nahisummerhold

[sheizara]

Mercenary Group Prompt #2

Nock. Draw. Aim. Loose.

There was a rhythm to it, there always was. This was more violent than target practice, but the situation was kinda dire and all hands that could help were good help. Sheizara nodded at Garren and they started the grim process again.

Nock. Draw. Aim. Loose.

There were other marksman on distant roofs and balconies matching them shot for shot. They had to keep a lane open for folks to get to the Hotel. Support in numbers, and support in the shared burden of what accomplishing that task meant. She drew another arrow from her quiver, the neon blue hawkstrider fletching was almost too cheerful for the situation. Arcane magic outline the arrowhead on her exhale and she leaned forward to look over the edge of the roof as it landed in the middle of a group of Darkfuse Cartel members, binding them in place for precious seconds to give those fighting back and those fleeing more ground.

Predictability swiftly ended as a dervish of cartel drones suddenly whirled into the air above and around them, unleashed by Nikki the Fixer. "Oh, fuck that," she breathed out in a nervous laugh at the exact time Garren echoed her with his own, emphatic "What the fuck."

"WE NEED TO PROTECT THE HOTEL," Commander Dal'shula's shout carried up from the ground level as she looked at her friend, and he looked back at her as they realized they were in no small amount of danger at the same time.

And then the drones started dropping goop. Goop that turned into monsters. A few of the contraptions careened into their space on top of the Hotel and shot their payloads off before they could get arrows shot to divert them. Animated black blood landed with a sticky slap on the flat part of the roof and immediately began to constitute into horrifyingly large, ambulatory oozes. Garren's comm crackled to life and Xylaes' voice came over the speakers, "Incoming! Take cover, will be there as soon as I can."

This was a small arena, and neither one of them were up-close-and-personal fighters. One of the other snipers from an allied crew launched at one of the goo-creatures with a knife and was immediately engulfed to the elbow. She couldn't blame Garren for darting to hide behind some of the discarded supply crates they'd set up in case they needed them. He had self preservation.

She didn't. All fight, no flight. That was a problem, sometimes.

The other mercenary that had touched the goop reeled back, arm pulling out of the viscous critter with a resounding slurp, his eyes darting around wide in terror. They'd all heard the stories about the black blood at this point, and this guy had foolishly tried to stab what was, effectively, a wobbly clot.

She had to do something before they realized the hatch down into the upper floors of the hotel was open.

Shei nocked another arrow and shot in between both oozes, her magic holding them in place temporarily. She grabbed the other merc by his shirt and shoved him back through the hatch, down the ladder to the floor below. He was better off down there, right? Right. She pretended she hadn't heard something break when he landed.

Two seconds. She could feel the arcane binding starting to wane as she grabbed her own comm off her belt and shouted into it on Kaisina's private line, "Hey! Roof-top! I need as many bags of flour as you can get me up here asap! Don't ask questions just do it!"

Her spell fizzled and the oozes advanced, attention on her. She threw her comm aside and held her bow like she'd seen some of the goblin basebomb players hold their bats. Her first swing made contact and severed one of the oozes in two. Three oozes advanced. She scuttled to the side and swung again, making four as she tried to avoid being touched. Another bash and there were eight. Eight became about 50 faster than she could keep track of.

Setting the roof on fire was a terrible idea, wasn't it?

She screeched with fury and smashed her bow down again as all the little oozes started to swarm toward her feet. It was a damn good thing she was a fast runner and had elvish grace to help her navigate kiting the little squirmy bastards around in a circle.

The first bag of flour landed on the roof from the open hatch door with a thud, then another, and another. Kaisina peeked over the bags and gasped at the sight right as Shei shot off another binding arrow to freeze the little menaces in place. Garren poked his head around the crate, brow furrowed in confusion as Shei darted over to grab one of the bags.

She sliced into it with her boot knife and dumped it on the black blood oozelings, nervously word vomiting the entire time, "Listen, it's just oily slime right? And if you put flour on oil it sops it up and makes it stop spreading, we used it to clean the kitchen if we spilled stuff sometimes!"

"That is a GREAT idea!" Garren ran to grab a bag himself as Kai disappeared back down into the Hotel.

The oozes absorbed the flour dumped on them and clouded over. The binding spell faded again and they sat there for a moment. Had it worked?

She and Garren stared in anticipation, and then screamed in unison as the blobs advanced again. Slower, this time, but more like dumplings than the noxious pudding they had been.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Garren huffed as he sliced into the bag of flour he was holding and dumped it in front of them to make a protective barrier as they ran backwards to avoid the new problem.

The many mini-oozes rolled through the powder, each one absorbing a little more. Their constitution changed as they solidified and became more doughy, but it didn't stop them.

Shei laughed, overwhelmed with anxiety. They'd be cute if they weren't scary little madness monsters.

In a fit of desperation Garren stomped on one, the sole of his boot splattering it flat. As he pulled up his foot, thick bits of glutinous black blood stretched between the roof and his shoe in a truly grotesque display. And then it pulled his foot back down toward the surface, trying to re-constitute itself.

She lashed out with her knife and severed the squishy new problem in two, not liking at all the way the freshly split little ooze tried to become one with Garren's shoe. It didn't really reform, though. The flour had made it too tacky.

"Holy shit, genius," Shei exclaimed at her friend, he'd figured it out, "We just gotta jump on them really hard so they spread out and—"

Garren didn't need to be told twice. He jumped on another one and immediately jumped again, the ooze snapping before it had time to pull together. She joined in, landing on one in the flour pile and sending a cloud of powder in every direction, hitting some of the other blood-dumplings with more of the substance and making a huge mess.

That was when a spacial rift tore through the air, and for a moment everything stopped. Xylaes stepped through and stared at them. They stared back at him. An ooze dumpling rolled and broke the tension, back on the sluggish attack.

Lady Sheizara Tel'vaiel put on her most pleading, charmingly pathetic expression and begged with the smallest, saddest tone of voice she could manage, "Help please."

@themercenaries / @garrennorassin / @talonoa / @kaisinasunblade / @xylaes

[themercenaries]

Writing Prompt #2

*There will be a series of prompts for the mercenary crew that anyone involved is welcome to write about. Follow-up stories to this prompt will be reblogged here as they are written!*

Nikki the Fixer, known ally of Jastor Gallywix, has shot and killed Renzik ‘The Shiv’ in an attempt on Monte Gazlowe’s life! The news of Renzik’s murder spreads quickly throughout the city and the assisting military and mercenary camps in Dornogal. The whispers on the streets have turned into shouts; the residents of the Undermines have had enough of Gallywix and his Darkfuse goons! Everyone is done waiting for this city to change, so they are putting an end to it all today and we're here to help fight for a better Undermine and destroy all the Black Blood supplies. Spurred on by his friend’s sacrifice, Gazlowe has decided to band together with all of the Cartel leaders to start a revolution and bring Gallywix down once and for all!  All hands on deck for the city-wide insurgence! THE UNDERMINES BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE! After a brief meeting with the leads of other groups and military units, the mercenary crew has been assigned to assist Gazlowe’s forces in Tailgate Park, the Bilgewater Cartel area of the Undermines, alongside a handful of other trusted mercenary groups. Gallywix’s Darkfuse Cartel has taken over and guards the area, and it’s time to put their reign to an end by any means necessary - they’ve terrorized these citizens for far too long. While there are holding cells in the Undermines, Talonoa has recommended killing on sight as the Darkfuse would show no mercy to anyone that would not extend the same.  ‘Work together, kill swiftly, have each other’s backs. Today is a good day for someone else to die!’ Nearby, the Incontinental Hotel has been turned into a makeshift hospital and safe haven for the non-fighting residents, guarded by some of Gazlowe’s forces. The mercenary group’s healers work side-by-side with other mercenary and military healers as the local denizens and those rallied to aid their cause are ushered here for medical attention. Weapons utilizing the Black Blood are being heavily used against the revolutionists, and those not outright killed experience a wide variety of negative emotions when afflicted with the substance. Those exposed to Black Blood are drawn into the Unseeming, an illusionary void plane that corrupts the minds and souls and keeps them trapped there as they slowly fall into madness until cleansed. Overrun with patients coming in with gunshot and laser injuries, festering black blood corruption, and wounds inflicted by civil war, the staff is forced to work quickly and under pressure.  Despite the use of the black blood weapons, the fight seems to be going in the revolutionist’s favor as many of the remaining Darkfuse begin to flee from Tailgate Park.  But, of course, it’s never that easy! It’s at this time that Nikki the Fixer shows up and everything descends once more into chaos as she summons a legion of black blood monstrosities and commands them to attack the Incontinental Hotel! The mercenary groups present rally and press towards the hotel as the monstrosities begin to swarm and overwhelm the current guards. “Move everyone to the second floor!”  Shouts Commander Dal’shula, “We will hold them off for as long as possible!”  Tensions run high as medical staff scramble to shuffle patients, supplies, and equipment out of harm’s way while the rest of the crews stave off an assault at the hotel from three sides.

[fio-renze]

Written for the Mercenary Prompt #2

Tailgate Park had become a tempest in record time. Between the civilians running for the shelter of the Incontinental Hotel, the civilians staying to defend their businesses and homes, and the Darkfuse Cartel actively trying to murder everyone in their way on behalf of Gallywix it had become progressively harder to tell ally from foe. Luckily the Black Blood bolstered weapons had a particular look about them.

Familiar heat from Tinnaire's fireball bloomed to her left and the howl of pain from the goblin it hit was quickly drowned out by the disorienting boom of a bomb going off nearby. Fiorenze's ears pinned back sharply as she winced. Sound was as much an enemy here as the actual combatants.

"WE NEED TO PROTECT THE HOTEL!"

Talon's command cut clear through the din. She spun on her heel in time to catch Tinnaire flicking a hand and setting alight the all fuses on an allied Bilgewater bombardier's mini-rockets. The high pitched whirring shriek as they launched in tandem aligned perfectly with searing pain in her scalp as she was hauled off the ground by her hair. Her staff fell to the ground as both of her hands immediately began to claw at the wrist of the hobgoblin that had seized her, astral form dropping as she flailed, kicked and called down a series of moonfire and sunfire strikes to try and get the grunt to set her free.

She could smell the arcane and nature magic smoldering on his skin, but rather than release her his other meaty fist slammed directly into the front of her face with a sickening crunch at once, and as he reeled back to swing again, the second blow glanced across her jaw as she heard — and felt — the concussive heat of one of Tinn's fireballs hit the bastard square in the chest.

Fiorenze hit the ground with a heavy whump, pain fracturing through her like light being split through a prism. Adrenaline coursed through her as she scrabbled to grab her staff and prop herself back up. There wasn't time for this, really. She reeled back and slammed the heavy, curled and barbed head of her staff down on the brute's face herself for good measure, mostly to make sure he'd stay down. Definitely not out of spite.

"You good, Fio?" Tinn called over to her as she unleashed another rapid barrage of fire magic to cover her while she got her bearings back.

She could feel the blood pouring down her face, she couldn't breathe through her nose and her head hadn't stopped spinning, but she held a thumbs up out all the same as she shifted back into her astral form. That would hide most of the damage, at least.

Tinn's grimace paired with her easy laugh made it clear enough that she probably didn't look great, but they fell back into an easy rhythm of fire and flung stars as they made their way back to Xylaes, Stellan and the other crew members who were pushing into the wall of Black Blood monstrosities that had cut them off from the hotel itself — and the rest of their group.

A cloudy, void sphere expanded around some of the caustic creatures and rapidly collapsed in on itself in a startling re-creation of what had happened to Dalaran, leaving nothing in its wake. Her eyes flicked over to Xylaes as she sent a whirl of her own new astral magic, white hot and neon prismatic at the edges, careening into a quivering mass of smaller oozes off to their side. It was hard to miss the runes on The Arm flaring as he dipped into whatever new abilities he had access to.

It was annoying how equally extremely hot and truly terrifying that display was.

There wasn't time for this, and she'd have to examine why that was still as much of a turn-on as it was later. She nudged Tinnaire with her elbow as Xylaes tore open a large spatial rift, they were both close enough now to help. Fiorenze thrust both of her hands forward, kicking up a torrent of dust as a column of wind with all the force of a typhoon lashed out toward a pile of the gelatinous creepers, forcing them into the void tear as one of Tinn's pyroblast hit a larger, giant goo abomination with enough power to send it tipping back into the nether.

Fiorenze pivoted on her heel to watch their backs and gathered the coalesced star-motes that had begun to float around her her head in a crown formation down into her palms. Every little bit helped, right? She tossed the magic up above her head and watched them subtly red-shift and split into their own, miniature cosmos before raining down in a barely perceptible blue-shift, hitting as many active enemies on the ground with them as possible.

It was Tinn's turn to elbow her this time. Stellan was their de-facto commander on this side of the field with Talon handling business at the Hotel itself, and his perplexed "The fuck…" as some fresh horror bulldozed its way through the muck was worth paying attention to.

Except that fresh horror was their friend.

Coated in black blood from head to toe it was hard to tell initially, but Dicenne's height and stature gave him away — as did the roared shout of his wife's name. Linalia. That desperate invocation was a torment. She was there for him, wasn't she? Beyond the veil in the madness brought on by the Unseeming. Maybe it was the adrenaline starting to wear off, maybe it was simply empathy, but a heavy weight settled in her stomach and her heart hurt for him.

Dice was moving too fast for her to do anything, her entangling roots were weak in this soil and Tinnaire's ability to polymorph was going to be hampered at the range he was at, but Stellan was on it. The pair of them returned their focus to the few Darkfuse that had yet to start fleeing, hoping to chase them off or end them while their other crew members rushed to help their incapacitated companion.

When the dust finally started to settle, Fiorenze collapsed into an uncomfortable, reclining-sit on the Hotel stairs. She'd have to see a healer about her face eventually, but there were a lot of people way worse off and she could definitely wait.

@themercenaries / @talonoa / @kharrisdawndancer (tinnaire) / @xylaes / @inistellan / @dicenne

[xylaes]

The Mercenaries writing prompt #2 Xylaes's Perspective

“WE NEED TO PROTECT THE HOTEL!”

Xylaes didn’t have to hear Talonoa’s shouted orders twice to know he needed to rejoin the others on the ground to make their push. The rooftops in Tailgate Park didn’t provide very good vantage points for the hotel itself, and that was where his son Garren was currently stationed. He shimmied his way down the side of the building with ease just in time to witness a couple of drones starting to drop some black blood monstrosities atop the Incontinental Hotel’s roof. Shit.

With a grimace, he rushed over to rejoin the others, but not before pulling out his comm device to deliver a hurried voice message to Garren. “Incoming! Take cover, will be there as soon as I can.” While they had been training heavily, his son was no melee fighter yet. He was a great shot, but Xylaes doubted his abilities to fight monsters like these while up close and personal.

By the time he had reached the group, Talonoa and the front lines were already plowing ahead through the frozen monstrosities on their way toward the hotel. He gave Stellan a brief nod as the older man ran up to round out the back of the crew. “Do bullets even work on these fucking things?”

“Explosive, but not a great idea with so many fighters nearby unless you want everyone here going out of their minds.” Stellan was already strapping his sniper rifle to his back and retrieving his sword. “In other circumstances, that sounds like a fun time.” He smirked over towards Xylaes, attempting to lighten an obviously serious mood. What was war without a little bit of humor anyway?

It did elicit a slight grin from Xylaes, but the expression was abruptly washed away when they and a handful of others in their crew, including Fiorenze and Tinnaire, were suddenly cut off by another wave of monstrosities crowding in towards the hotel.

The two men shared a look of annoyance before Stellan took charge, ordering them to start clearing a path towards the hotel and their friends, while he and Xylaes would keep an eye on their six. Some of the Darkfuse Cartel still remained and would take full advantage of this situation in an attempt to regain some ground. It was not the ideal position to be in, but they were an efficient team and Stellan had already been witness to some of Xylaes’s exciting new features.

Void magic had come easily to Xylaes after he released it for the first time. Controlling it felt almost similar to controlling arcane had in the past, whether that was by design or just the particular brand of void he possessed. Much of it remained a mystery to him, but it was thrilling to have magic of any kind running through his veins again after having it ripped away over two decades ago.

The unspoken agreement was to take on the Darkfuse up close and personal while trying to bring down the black blood abominations from a distance. Watching Inistellan fight was akin to watching a ballet: His movements were fluid and graceful, always constantly aware of who and what was around him at any given moment. Much of the crew knew him to be an excellent marksman, but Xylaes had always considered him one of their better melee fighters as well - if not THE best. Xy himself was certainly no pushover, but this was on another level and certainly not what they train in the Farstriders. Stellen never spoke much of his past, and at times Xy wondered exactly how much he was leaving out. He could relate, so he never asked.

While the older mercenary breezed through a group of Darkfuse, Xylaes set his sights on a few of the black blood monstrosities creeping their way. Overthinking was his enemy, and he decided to do what felt natural. Extending that replanted arm, the glowing purple runes covering it shimmered, glowing brighter as a small, cloudy void sphere appeared among the enemies. Opening his arms wider, the sphere rapidly extended until it completely engulfed the attackers, trapping them within the dark violet and black mass. With a clap of his hands, the sphere promptly imploded into itself until it and the monstrosities vanished in a puff of void. Efficient given it didn’t leave a mess of black blood in its wake.

Stellan shot a brow upwards before nodding back towards the groups still marching and pushing their way toward the Hotel. Xylaes turned to join the front of the group, eyeing the absolute horde of monsters barreling towards the base. The forefinger and thumb of both hands pinched together and touched at their points as that eerie purple gaze and the runes on his arm glimmered even brighter. As he pulled his hands apart, a spatial rift began to tear open beneath a large mass of the monstrosities, disappearing them into the nether. His gaze briefly flicked towards Fiorenze and Tinnaire, silently urging them to shove as many in by any means possible while he concentrated on holding the volatile magic in place.

He was still largely untrained in this type of magic, and perhaps he shouldn’t have been using it or pushing himself so hard, but desperate times called for desperate measures. His hands began to shake with the effort and he dropped the spell, stumbling to one knee and bracing his hands against the ground to steady himself. The rift snapped shut, slicing a few of the creatures in half and causing the black blood to splatter in various directions before reforming into smaller globs.

“On your feet, soldier.” Stellan grabbed him by the collar and yanked him upwards before returning to his graceful assaults, seemingly barely winded without a single hair askew.

A bullet whizzed past his ear, drawing his gaze to one of the rooftops where a few of the Darkfuse snipers had stationed themselves once again. Before Stellan could react, Xylaes ripped open another spatial tear, this time for himself, and appeared behind the attackers. With sword in hand, he sliced cleanly through the neck of one of the shooters before stabbing it through the gut of the other. His void gaze stared down at the still-living Darkfuse, who was now pleading for his life, before he just smirked and returned to Stellan’s side through the rift. He would die a painful, drawn-out death, and honestly, it’s what they deserved.

“The fuck…” Stellan’s words drew his attention towards the crowd of abominations in front of them, who were suddenly being violently shoved to the side, and in some instances straight up, in a path heading from the hotel straight towards them. Whatever, or whoever this was, was creating an excellent path for them to get through.

“Dicenne?” One of the other crew members exclaimed, as sure enough the tall, black blood-covered Sin’dorei burst through the wall of attackers. 

He didn’t stop to say hello, in fact, it was as if he didn’t see them at all despite sprinting right by them and across the road. He stopped, spun around, reached for something on the ground that wasn’t there, and then called out his dead wife’s name, “LINALIA!”

Oh.

The crew was warned that the black blood madness would affect them in different ways. That man was deep into the Unseeming, but at least a path had been cleared and the monstrosities were beginning to thin on this side thanks to their combined efforts. He watched as Dicenne dashed around the area and jumped atop buildings, obviously searching for someone who wasn’t there. Someone who wasn’t alive anymore and hadn’t been for a long time now. 

“He’s gonna hurt himself even more if he keeps going.” Xylaes’s heart stung for the man. They had both lost their wives unexpectedly years ago, and after the Shadowlands, Xylaes knew damn well that seeing a version of your loved one in a place you couldn’t stay was a form of torment he wouldn’t wish upon anyone.

“Yeah.” Stellan frowned, “I got him.” There was no way any amount of them were going to outmuscle this man. Stellan reached into his unending pouch of tricks at his side to retrieve what appeared to be a small pistol. He flipped through a case of darts, selecting a specific one before loading it into the gun. The next time Dicenne slammed into the ground nearby, Stellan aimed and fired the dart into the side of the man’s neck. This was for the best, he was already in bad shape. “Go find your son, we got this.”

Stellan didn’t have to tell him twice and in the blink of those ominous purple and black eyes, he was atop the roof of the hotel and thrust into a cloud of…wait, was this flour?? Eyes immediately met Garren’s, and then Sheizara’s, who were both coated in flour but didn’t seem to be injured, and then dropped to the ground where this small half-ooze, half-flour black blood dumpling rolled slowly across the ground between them. 

“Help please.” Sheizara pleaded while Garren waved off the haze of flour, coughing a few times. What the actual fuck.

One scene of chaos right into another.

@themercenaries @inistellan @talonoa @fio-renze @kharrisdawndancer @dicenne @sheizara @garrennorassin

[sekhisadventures]

Fighting the Boss

It had been quite the battle. As soon as they had breached the shutters the Gallajio’s automated defenses had burst into life, forcing both Alliance and Horde into retreat to the Incontinental Hotel.

Grimo and the rest of Savage United had rallied as many members of the Horde to their side as they could and, after some tense negotiations helped by Nelen and the members of Avalon, they had reached an agreement with those of the Alliance present in the Undermine.

The grounds of the Gallajio were unassailable now and, if the noise was to be believed, Galliwix’s lieutenants had emerged and held strategic points around the Undermine. The situation had changed. The members of the Alliance would stand guard at Slam Central Station, the only exit from the Undermine to anywhere else in Azeroth and ensure that the Darkfuse Cartel wouldn’t escape.

Meanwhile, the warriors of the Horde would move in and cut a swathe through to the Gallajio, find an alternative entrance, and dethrone Gallywix by any means necessary.

Just over two dozen members of the Horde fought through the war zone the Undermine had become, facing down whatever threats came their way… and after several very intense battles, they made their way to the Gallajio and forced their way inside.

Finally, however, the end was drawing near…

Deep Within The Gallajio

“FOR THE HORDE!” roared a tauren bull, wielding a massive hammer as he raced towards an oncoming mech inside the casino, slamming his weapon home with a loud crack and a buzz of broken and frayed electronics.

“LOK’TAR OGAR!” added Galdia as she charged in next to him, her own shield smashing into the face of a hobgoblin as her sword was thrust into the hulking man’s ribcage to pierce his lung.

Behind them were the rest of the group, along with the other members of Savage United. Grimo cocked his rifle, taking careful aim, and with a loud BANG the driver of the shredder bot jerked suddenly, then slumped over the controls as the machine fell silent, blood leaking from a bullet wound in his forehead onto the control panel.

Grimo nodded in satisfaction and reloaded his gun, glancing back to the others. “We gotta be gettin’ close now. Ya ready?” he asked.

Most of the others nodded, but Nitika glanced behind her and then back at Grimo. “Um… maybe one of us should escort Sekhi back out? She got really shook up by that one fight…” she muttered.

Grimo shook his head, “Sorry Nitts, but we need everyone we can get. Sekhi’s been through worse ‘n this ‘n besides… she was th’ one who took that guy down!” he pointed out.

Nitika frowned, looking back at the shamaness again…

About an hour ago, outside the Gallajio

The warriors of the Horde ran along the pavement into a path near the cavern walls, fighting their way towards what looked like a massive stage. All around them were speakers playing loud music with goblins stumbling around, the sound seeming to affect their minds. They quickly dispatched the guards, then gathered together as a loud record-scratch sound echoed.

“HEY HEY! WHO’S MESSIN’ WITH TH’ ACOUSTICS!?” demanded a voice from all the sound devices in the area.

Swooping down from above was a goblin in a gaudy outfit wearing sunglasses with more rhinestones than frames on them in the strangest flying machine that most of them had ever seen. It was a goblin flyer, a big round cockpit with twin jets on either side to keep it airborne… but these jets had huge subwoofers built into them facing forward from the machine, and the controls were as much a DJ’s mix table as they were for steering.

Grimo winced and held a hand over one ear, the other still holding his rifle. “Fuckin’ FEL! That’ll clean th’ earwax out… whats this guy’s deal?!” he shouted over the din as the music continued.

Mola’raum frowned, his own undead eardrums feeling the pressure as much as the living ones. “Fooked if I know mon! Lets take ‘im out ‘n keep goin’!” he nodded.

The goblin in the machine laughed at them, “Ya think ya can get past me?! You ain’t got th’ rhythm or th’ style…” he smirked and his fingers danced along the turntable as another record scratch came out of the speakers, “Now you’re gonna get schooled by R-R-R-RIK REVERB! START TH’ MUSIC!” he called out.

At once several more speakers were dropped into the arena by a set of flying claws, and out of them came… well… at normal volume it would be considered music, but at this decibel level it could be used for mining holes in a mountain!

The sound hit the members of the Horde like a physical force, knocking them off their feet as Rik laughed and tweaked the controls on his machine, the sounds pulsing and changing to keep his foes off balance.

“GAH! MY HEAD! I’M GONNA BREAK YOUR FUCKIN’ FACE!” roared Galdia in fury as she got to her feet and charged towards him, leaping to try to reach the flying machine.

Nitika shook her head, trying to focus to channel An’she’s power to heal the damage that the sounds were causing. A few of their allies were already unconscious with blood trickling out of their ears!

Nitika saw that, and her eyes widened as she remembered one of her own teammates who had very sensitive hearing. “Oh no… Sekhi! Are you okay?!” she yelled over the cacophony… then suddenly a bolt of lightning shot past her!

Rik Reverb looked up from his turntable just in time to see the lighting slam into the front of his vehicle, the flying machine sagging under a sudden new weight to it. When the light cleared Sekhi was standing there, her eyes wide and her ears flat against her head.

“HEY! AUDIENCE STAYS OFF THE STAGE TOOTS!” shouted the goblin as he raised a fist to shove her off.

Sekhi flicked her finger and Rik screamed as his hand suddenly erupted in flames, the vulpera’s face expressionless as she reached to her belt and pulled out a knife that was normally used for skinning game on the island…

Then everyone below heard screams as the flying machine rocked back and forth, the music going chaotic as two goblin hands frantically grabbed at the controls and a vulpera’s footpaws tried to keep balance on them as Sekhi dealt with the problem.

The Gallajio, present

Sekhi’s eyes were still stare-y. She had never heard sounds like that, she had never FELT sounds like that. It wasn’t as bad as the Maw had been, but it was non-stop and endlessly loud and drilled right into the shamaness’ sensitive ears.

She also still had some… well… the fur around her mouth was oddly colored. A dark red color.

“I had to make it stoooooop…” she hissed, her tail thrashing behind her.

Grimo nodded, “See, I want that.” he pointed to her, “I wanna point that at Jastor ‘n see what happens. If I’d known Sekhi had a berserker setting I’d have been tryin’ to weaponize it before we even got here.”

Nitika frowned at him, her eyes flicking to purple. She took out a notebook she used for her enchanting research, then wrote something down in it.

“Whatcha doin’?” asked Grimo.

“We’re in enemy territory so now isn’t the time, but I’m making a note to smack you across the face once we’re done.” growled Darkhoof.

Grimo winced, then the doors at the far end of the hallway crashed open as both Galdia and the tauren man slammed into them together! “DEAD END AHEAD! EVERYONE, THIS MAY BE IT!” called the tauren back to the rest of the group as the members of the Horde roared and raised their weapons, then ran to meet them. Along with them were four goblins as well. Gazlowe, Noggenfogger, Baron Relgavaz, and a young redheaded goblin woman named Grimala Fizzlecrank who, after the current leader had been dealt with, was going to take over and reform the Venture Company.

The team burst through into the room beyond, and a huge metal platform awaited them surrounded by machinery.

“Gallywix!” shouted Gazlowe. “It doesn't have to end here!”

“Oh save me the mush!” came Jastor’s voice from above them, amplified by a speaker. "The Horde made you soft!"

"Its not being soft! I'm offering you a way out!" retorted Gazlowe as he looked around, a grenade readied in one hand (he was trying to be the better man, but he wasn't an idiot.)

Then Gallywix's voice echoed loudly through the room, "You don't make the offers, I DO! Now watch and learn how a REAL goblin takes charge!"

There was a sudden roar of an engine and from above a huge machine swooped into view. It was a massive vehicle, a flying pod with two gatling guns built onto either side of it, designed to look like the leering face of Jastor Gallywix, complete with a mock cigar in its grinning mouth. On top of it was a chamber like a stylized top hat with a red tinted porthole on the front, and visible through it was the furious face of its pilot.

Inside the mech Jastor gripped the microphone with one hand and shouted into it, the machine’s jaw moving to mimic his speech as a speaker inside repeated his words loudly. “I’ve put up with your bullshit long enough Monte! I’m gonna take you all down, ‘n when I’m done I’m gonna put your heads on fuckin’ display in the lobby like HUNTING TROPHIES! NOBODY IS GONNA STOP ME! YA HEAR ME! NO. FUCKIN’. BODY!” he roared, then he slammed a button on the controls and the guns snapped up.

Grimo reacted immediately, “SCATTER!” shouted the goblin as the members of Savage United ran to the sides, the rest of the group following them as a loud whirring filled the air and bullets slammed down into the floor where they’d been, punching holes through it! Not just normal bullets either, every one of these shots was black blood enhanced, they ATE the metal!

Edwood grimaced as one almost hit his foot, the warlock stumbling back. “WATCH YER ARSES ALL OF YE! Those’re th’ same rounds they used ta kill Renzik!” he warned.

Grimo snarled and cocked his rifle, then took aim at Gallywix’s cockpit and unleashed a stream of bullets as his rifle switched to rapid fire mode. They didn’t even dent the glass, bouncing away with a loud pinging sound.

“Tch’…” grumbled the goblin, “‘course it’d be bulletproof.”

Gallywix’s laughter echoed through the pod’s ‘mouth’ as another salvo smacked down, Galdia and the tauren brave charging it and managing to slam their weapons into it, trying to find a weak point. The machine was huge, but heavy, it couldn’t hover very high off the ground!

The rest of the gathered adventurers did what they could as well, but the plating on it was the strongest Gallywix could have bought! Spells smashed into it and only scuffed the paint job, weapons rebounded with loud clangs, and all through it came Jastor’s mocking voice and the sound of the guns firing.

Grimo raised his rifle again, then swore and dove to the side as another stream of shots tore up the floor next to him. He heard a scream and looked up just in time to see a troll fall to the ground and crumble to dust and ashes. One of the black blood bullets had hit her in the stomach, and the Void-enhanced round had consumed her whole.

Grimo shuddered, then pulled his goggles down, “We gotta finish this fast…” he snarled, tapping a button on his gauntlet as the HUD on his goggles began to scan the machine. “C’mon… everything gotta have a weakness, right?!”

Then his goggles beeped, and the goblin grinned widely. “Gotcha… L.U.P.E!” he shouted, his robotic dog (he’d summoned it down from the Glittering Prize when they retreated to the Hotel,) let out a mechanical bark. “Time ta test those upgrades I gave ya before we went to th’ Siren Isle… ENGAGE SPOTTER MODE!” he commanded.

The robot dog slammed its feet down securely as its metal back popped open on a set of hinges, and a machine emerged out of it. It was a large, round, jet turbine! It began to vibrate as it started up, the rear turning from gray to cherry red… and then there was a WOOSH and the robot shot up into the air!

Nitika ducked as it shot over her, the tauren woman channeling her healing power into an orc who got winged by one of the bullets. Thankfully a graze wasn’t a fatal hit, but the black blood was akin to a virulent poison, and she’d been channeling An’she’s power to try to counter it. “What the fel did he do this time?!” she cringed, watching the robot dog fly through the arena.

Grimo had his gauntlet ready, the microphone on it connected to the L.U.P.E.’s electronic brain. “Alright L.U.P.E. FETCH!” he commanded, then pushed on the touch screen where he saw the weakness.

The robot let out an electronic bark and dove, its metal jaw opening wide, and it shot towards the pod’s mouth! With a clash of metal on metal it slammed home and there was a loud squealing sound as it tore at what it found, then the jet engine roared and it shot upwards, its prize clenched between its razor-sharp fangs!

A tirade of swearing came out of the speakers of Jastor’s machine as sparks erupted from the mouth, the guns suddenly firing wildly. “FUCK FUCK! WHO DID THAT?! I’M GONNA FILL YOU FULL O’ LEAD YA BASTARD!” he roared as the L.U.P.E. banked around and dropped its prize at Grimo’s feet.

It was the mock cigar from the mech’s mouth, which in truth was its targeting system! It had to have something to detect targets and the eyes were too obvious a spot, so it was hidden in the cigar!

“HAHA! How’s that for goblin ingenuity ya piece of shit!” retorted Grimo as he took aim at the gaping hole that the attack had left in the mech’s mouth.

Inside the mech Jastor snarled, then slammed another button, “Oh that’s just the openin’ act you little nobody! ROUND TWO!” he snapped, and there was a huge crash as something large landed on the far side of the platform.

Jastor’s pod quickly shot over to it and the jets roared almost as loudly as Rik Reverb’s music, the metal head rising up, then landing on a pair of metal shoulders… which were connected to a metal torso with sturdy metal legs and a pair of metal arms with huge cannons built into them! Jastor’s pod had become the head of a towering robotic battlesuit!

Grimo winced, “Oh fuck…” he whispered as he and the other adventurers scattered, the L.U.P.E. flying upwards again as the mech took aim with its weapons and opened fire!

“TAKE THIS! ‘N THIS! I’M GONNA KILL ALL OF YA!” shouted Gallywix into the microphone, spit flying onto the windshield on his mech as it stomped forwards, the cannons booming and launching huge blasts of black blood as they went.

Grimo tried to aim, but the mech was firing too rapidly! Any time he drew a bead on it he’d barely get off a shot before he had to flee another salvo. “FUCK! I can’t hold still long enough to shoot! He’s too fast!” he shouted.

“I believe I can assist there.” came a voice as he looked to his left.

Laurelgosa, already in her dracthyr form, was standing with her wings spread and her arms out, sand beginning to swirl around them. As Jastor’s weapons readied another round she shot up into the air and flew towards the mech, the power of the bronze dragonflight echoing through her body and seeming to leave afterimages of sand behind her as she drew near.

She took a breath, and then there was a loud roar as an eruption of sand came from her mouth, coating the mech from head to toe!

Jastor swore as he saw the dracthyr draw behind the range of his guns, the barrels unable to point at her this close, and then suddenly the mech began reading several malfunctions! The machine’s movements slowed to a snail’s pace! The guns couldn’t keep up with his targets!

“What the fuck was that?! WHAT’D YOU DO TO MY ROBOT?!” he demanded.

Sand drifted off the arms of Gallywix’s vehicle, the mech moving… but very very VERY slowly! The black blood protected it from being totally frozen, but Laurelgosa had slowed its timeline to the point where it could barely move at all!

“EVERYONE! THAT WILL NOT SLOW HIM FOR LONG! STRIKE NOW!” shouted the dracthyr as she flapped out of range as quickly as she could.

A roar went up from the assembled members of the Horde and, as one, they charged!

Mola’raum’s ghoul let out a guttural roar as it’s master channeled his power into the monster, it’s body swelling with necromantic energy into a twisted and horrific form as it body-slammed the left leg of the mech, gripping it firmly and weighing it down further as the tauren brave grabbed the other to hold it in place, the guns still trying to aim for the adventurers but unable to move fast enough to hit them!

Edwood raised his hands, along with an orc woman with glowing red eyes and a blood elf in purple robes with runes etched in fel green on them. Together they channeled a bolt of pure felfire, a massive one bigger than any Ed could have managed alone and threw it directly at the hole where the mock cigar had been! There was a titanic eruption of felfire and the lower jaw of the mech was blown apart!

“HAH! Felt that one eh?” laughed Ed, “SEKHI! READY YER CANNONS ‘N OPEN FIRE!” he called out.

Sekhi nodded, her head still pounding from Rik Reverb’s abuse of the very concept of sound as she raised her flute and began to play a rapid piping tune. Next to her an orcish man in a cape made from a bear’s hide, a darkspear troll wielding a wooden stave decorated with crystals, and a goblin man wearing robes with a necklace of gears painted blue, white, red, and green joined her. A moment later a bolt of lightning that would have made Raszageth sit up and take notice struck the mech’s ruined face and the speaker squealed loudly as sparks flew from the machine, soon replaced with Gallywix’s cursing.

“DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! STOP DOING THAT! I’M GONNA KILL YA! I’LL STRANGLE YA WITH MY BARE FUCKIN’ HANDS! I’LL BEAT YA TO DEATH WITH MY CANE! NONE OF YOU FUCKERS ARE GETTING’ OUTTA HERE ALIVE!” shouted the trade prince amid other, less coherent cursing and threats as the control panel and displays inside the mech began to flash warning lights and reports of damage sustained.

Then Nitika stepped forward. With her were a sin’dorei woman in robes of resplendent gold and white and a vulpera man in robes of sandy brown stitched with symbols of foxes amid the sands of their homeland.

“Together!” she nodded as they raised their hands, then focused them on the damaged machine.

“ANDU FALAH’DOR!” called out the blood elf as a blast of light erupted from her fingertips, the power of the Sunwell coursing through he even this far from Quel’thalas.

“BY THE DUNES!” cried the vulpera as a stream of what appeared to be golden motes of sand swirled from her hand, shooting towards the mech like a concentrated dust storm made of light!

“AN’SHE! I CALL UPON YOUR MIGHTY RADIANCE!” shouted Nitika, raising her stave and pointing the eagle head towards Gallywix’s mech, and a blast of sunlight shot forth to join the others.

The blessed powers, each a reflection of what they held as holy, shot towards the mech and into its damaged recesses, right into the fuel tank of black blood deep within! The trio kept up the attack as long as they could as, inside, smoke erupted from the controls of the mech as Gallywix flailed his arms, coughing frantically!

The black blood was created by the Void, and the quantity left in the fuel tank after how much he’d already consumed couldn’t withstand the blessed power! The starcursed liquid boiled and roiled as the divine spells blasted into the canister, and finally it ruptured and cracked open, the vile fluid spraying out the sides of the mech as those nearby ran for cover!

“Alert! Black blood fuel compromised! Auto-eject activated!” shouted a mechanical voice inside the cockpit.

“NO! ABORT DAMMIT! I CAN STILL WIN THIS! I-…”  protested Gallywix as the top of the top hat popped open and the chair inside shot upwards, launching the podgy trade prince into the air. Gallywix flailed his arms as he fell, then landed behind the machine with a loud thud and a louder curse.

The goblin scrambled to his feet, ignoring the members of the Horde present in his frustration and fury, and turned on the machine. “WORTHLESS HUNK OF JUNK!” he snapped, stomping to one of the legs and kicking at it repeatedly.

Gazlowe stepped forward, ready to insist on Gallwix’s surrender… then he saw the mech begin to shake. One of its legs had been damaged, bent by the strength of the tauren brave, and it was losing its balance! “Hey…” began Gazlowe, realizing what was happening, “Hold on!”

Jastor ignored him, stomping forward and glaring daggers at Gazlowe, “Its not over ‘till I say it’s over!” he snarled, kicking at the machine again. “AND I.” he kicked it harder, “ALWAYS!” he lifted his leg and slammed his entire foot into the mech’s metal limb. “WIN!”

There was a loud creaking sound, and the mech wobbled as Gazlowe started to run forward, “LOOK OUT!” he shouted.

It was too late however, the mech tottered, then tipped backwards as Jastor looked up, “Huh?” he gasped, then he screamed wordlessly as the mech fell backwards and several tons of metal and electronics landed on him with enough force to shake the entire platform, kicking up a huge cloud of dust and smoke from the broken electronics inside it as Gazlowe, the other goblin cartel leaders, and the members of the Horde took cover and shielded themselves from the billowing fumes and debris.

When the dust cleared Gazlowe looked out to see the mech laying on it’s back… and a single arm sticking out from under it in a slowly widening pool of blood. The weight of the machine had crushed Jastor’s body, killing him.

Gazlowe sighed deeply, this wasn’t how he’d wanted it to go. He wanted Jastor to answer for his crimes, to face the reality of what he’d done, to have to finally admit for once that he’d gone too far… but… the important thing was that it was over. “… lets get outta here.” he nodded.

The Incontinental Hotel, the Following Day

It was a victory celebration, but it was a low key one by goblin standards (still rowdy by most standards though.) The Undermine had suffered greatly under Gallywix, and many goblins had lost friends and family during the riot. The survivors of the Darkfuse Cartel had vanished, though Gazlowe had his men keeping an eye out for them.

In the basement of the continental hotel the members of Avalon and Savage United were seated together around their table, once more a pair of smaller tables pushed together to accommodate them all, and talking about what they’d found out.

The main question on all their minds however… it had become clear given Xal’atath’s abandonment of Gallywix that the ethereals were not working with her. The harbinger had lost the power of the dark heart… but now it was in the hands of an unknown quantity.

The ethereals were enigmatic beings, the survivors of the world of K’aresh which had been devoured by the Void Lord Dimensius, one of the most powerful entities in all realities. At times the ethereals had been both friend and foe to the people of Azeroth, which begged the question…

Why did they claim the Dark Heart?

What were they going to do with it?

Were the ethereals potential allies, or were they a new threat to Azeroth?

As the party wore on Nelen stepped outside of the hotel, needing to get some fresh… well, fresh-er air. He looked around the city, seeing goblin work crews scurrying back and forth, taking in reports, assessing damage, working on minor repairs that could be done quickly as preparations were made for bigger ones. If nothing else the goblins knew how to rebuild things, though with the way their engineering and science worked they’d have to.

As he stood there, he became aware of the smell of burning socks, then looked over to see Grimo walking up next to him. “Well, that’s done. Been wanting to put a fuckin’ bullet in Gallywix since th’ Cataclysm.” he grunted, a cigar sticking out of his mouth.

Nelen nodded, “Satisfied?” he asked the goblin.

Grimo chuckled, “Eh… yeah I guess. Be better if we got th’ Dark Heart back too but… eh, I’ll take it.” he sighed, taking the cigar out and holding it between two fingers as he shook his head, his other hand resting on his belt with his thumb hooked into it.

Nelen sighed, nodding, the magus’s hands folded behind his back. “Mm… quite. Ethereals though. I hadn’t been aware they were even interested in what was going on in Khaz Algar. This could get problematic soon…” he replied.

“I heard some of our boys ran into one back in Azj-kahet. Some ‘Nexus-Princess’ chick… at least, I think it was a chick. Dunno if ethereals even got gender-y bits anymore.” replied Grimo, taking another pull of his cigar.

Nelen nodded, “Hm… well, all we can do is wait and see Grimo. Until the ethereals make their intentions known, we can’t act.” he sighed. “Perhaps Khadgar or Alleria could offer some insight…”

Grimo shrugged, “Eh, we’ll find out when it starts to stink Fullmoon.” he smirked, then took a deep pull of his cigar and exhaled a huge cloud of acrid smoke.

Nelen coughed and waved his hand infront of his face to push the fumes away, “… indeed.” he smirked a bit.

Across the street, a pair of eyes watched them.

Seated there, next to a lamp post was a cat with jet black fur and shining green eyes. It narrowed its eyes, its ears flicking as if it could pick up what they were saying, then it stretched and ran off into the Undermine.

It passed by some buildings, next to a trash can, paused as a goblin car thundered across the street ahead of it, then its ears perked up as it heard voices nearby.

“… said she’ll meet us when we signal her. We should focus on finding a new base first while they clear out the hideout here. We don’t want to leave anything they can use behind, don’t want a repeat of what almost happened with his horn, do we?” came a masculine goblin’s voice, a rather cultured one for a resident of the Undermine.

“Too right we don’t…” growled another voice. A woman’s voice, a goblin woman. “Just gotta wait until… oho, speak o’ th’ demon…”

The cat emerged and walked towards a pair of goblins. One of them was dressed in a black silk shirt with red suit pants and jacket, a pair of polished black shoes on his feet and black hair tied in a ponytail.

The other was a female goblin, wearing a silvery grey silken gown under a cloak. She had purple hair hanging loose around her face with a small ponytail. Her eyes were also a deep crimson. It wasn’t unheard of for goblins to have red eyes, but that shade almost made them look like they could glow in the dark.

The cat walked towards the woman and leapt up onto her shoulder. “They know?” she asked, glancing to it.

The cat shook its head, and the goblin smirked in response.

“Perfect… well, lets head up then.” she nodded to the goblin man as she looked back towards the Incontinental Hotel. Both she and her companion shared a grin… as did the cat. A wide grin, too wide, unnaturally so with long sharp teeth filling its mouth. Then the two goblins turned and, with their feline companion, walked towards Slam Central Station, vanishing into the crowd. Just another pair of goblins in the Undermine, nobody even gave them a second glance.

Next Story

Previous Story

[salrikstrongbow]

Meet THE BOMB-BURGER, FIREWORK FRIES and KAJA'COLA CRYSTAL! I felt inspired and decided to make an Undermine themed dinner! Recipe is below if you'd like to try it!

Recipe - BOMB BURGER AND FIREWORK FRIES Ingredients: -2 Burger Patties -Lettuce -Tomato -Buns -Ranch -Greek Yogurt -Sour Cream -Milk -Garlic Powder -Worcestershire sauce -Red Pepper Flakes -Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning -Chicken Broth -Crunchy Garlic Chili Oil -Tajin w/ Lime seasoning -Curly Fries -Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese -Cheddar Cheese Slices

Instructions: On a plate, combine roughly 3 tablespoons of chicken or beef broth, roughly 2 tablespoons of sour cream, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 to 1 full tablespoon of crunchy garlic chili oil (depending on how much spice you want). This will suit about 4 burger patties. Spread the mixture evenly over the plate, take your burgers one at a time, and gentle place them on the mixture (don't press down), turn them over, then move them to your skillet. I used canola oil, just enough to coat the skillet and then a little extra. Cook thoroughly, but however you like your burger. This should leave you with wonderful oil. In a separate pot, combine about 4 tablespoons of milk, a small splash of chicken or beef broth, 3 or 4 tablespoons of greek yogurt, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of sour cream. Stir until the texture is even. Add a tablespoon of crunchy garlic chili oil, a small dash of garlic powder, and a small dash of Tajin seasoning. I also used a bit of Greek seasoning, but a small amount of oregano and black pepper may also suffice. Lastly, add about a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup, based on taste, of ranch, and a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup amount of shredded Mexican blend cheese. Stir until all evenly mixed and the cheese is melted. The resulting mixture should be thick, but still spread. To toast the buns, I suggest using a spoonful of that oil leftover from cooking the patties, spread evenly over the bun, then lightly toast by skillet. You can also lightly fry your tomato slices in that oil! (briefly or they'll fall apart!) Using your cheese slice of choice, stack your burger : toasted bun> patty> cheese> lettuce> tomato> patty> cheese> lettuce> tomato> Special cheese sauce> toasted bun. Enjoy while listening to goblin jazz!

Recipe - KAJA'COLA (and alcoholic CRYSTAL alternative) -Lemon Lime Soda -Monster Energy -Grapefruit Juice or Grapefruit Soda -Tequila -1 Lime -Cocktail Salt -Green Food Dye

Instructions: Simple! Mix 1 part Monster, 1 Part Lemon Lime Soda, 1 Part Grapefruit drink, and for the alcoholic Crystal alternative add 1 part Tequila. Drop in green food dye and mix again. 1 lime slice and salt on the rim of the glass. Enjoy while punching Darkfuse mooks!

[readjthompson]

Hey, there’s an A Carcass of Genre review (finally)! Every story rated! Thanks again, Alessandro Hand-glider-Hawthorn!

Book description:

No narrative ever ends; each crawls inside its readers to decay eternally. Those readers become authors to write themselves out of existence, reading themselves into our unspooling.

Presenting A Carcass of Genre, a twenty-stop tour of Jeremy Thompson’s imagination, featuring all-new pieces and previously-released nightmares from publications such as Walk Hand In Hand Into Extinction, Into the Darkness, DarkFuse Magazine, Brewtality, and Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2. Will you be the same after you read it? Will you be, at all?

[williemeikle]

MORE MUSINGS FROM AN OLD FART

I feel I'm slowly aging out of the scene... I'm now more of an out and out pulp adventure writer than I ever was in the past, and the horror genre has moved on without me as new faces bring their vision to the party

10 years ago just now, I was in the middle of a seven book contract with DarkFuse, and had sold more than a dozen pro-rate short stories that year. Looking back, that was the high water mark. Just didn’t notice at the time as I was too busy. Since then the S-Squad has kind of taken over to the exclusion of most everything else, and now I’ve more or less stopped shopping short stories around…

[eluvianna-ooc]

Okay, picture this...

John Mulaney, but if he was an Ethereal: pure Gentleman in Chaos vibes

But also caught up in John Wick-style politics in a Darkfuse hotel/tavern (will absolutely use excommunicado somewhere)

At all times, you are at least five minutes away from getting a straight answer from the guy

Probably not a Void Ethereal but TBD, 11.1.0 is making my brain spin

Questing in Undermine has been such a huge shiny. Especially since most of the Ethereals seem to be carrying blades, lord have mercy.

Every time Elu sees an Ethereal she's like...

DO THEY NEED A BESTIE?

BUSINESS PARTNER??

A PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION ON ARTIFACTS????????

This is how new OCs happen.

[trashmenace]

Rogue by Greg Gifune

Rogue by Greg Gifune 2014 DarkFuse

A civil servant who monitors sex offenders is losing his mind. He's suspended for actions he doesn't remember, prone to fits of anger, has horrifying hallucinations, and is visited by a stranger in his backyard warning him to not use the phone.

Is it a government conspiracy? Demon possession? Time travel and alternate universes? Is it all a dream? Is he dead and being tormented in the afterlife?

Good prose, but the story reaches a level early on and doesn't move from there, aside from a quick scene of violence that felt out of place. Without things ramping up I was just left to guess what the resolution would be. I didn't guess completely right, but given that the story felt four parts Jacob's Ladder and one part Angel Heart, it wasn't a surprise either.

Some loose threads are wrapped up at the end, but like Jacob's Ladder a lot is dropped. The audiobook's narration was a good artistic choice, whispery and lethargic, but didn't help with the pacing.

Available from Amazon

[deliriumfusion]

REMEMBER Recuerdo que esta foto no me acababa de gustar porque no me gustaba como salía. Me veía como hinchada, con papada, porque mi forma es así, si me descuido me pillan en fotos que parece que tengo papada. Como si eso fuera algo malo. Y es que así somos, que nos metemos una caña brutal. Siempre nos vemos fallos que no son fallos, cuando en otras personas no nos lo parecen, pero en una misma sí. Siempre hay algo que no nos gusta, no nos convence, o lo queremos de otra forma. Entonces me desdoblo y me veo desde fuera, y me digo lo bonita que soy, y abrazo mucho a mi yo pasada como la de esta foto, y le digo cariñosamente lo boba que es a veces. #deliriumfusion #tribalbellydance #tribalfusion #darkandurbanfusion #darkfusion #bellydancersoninstagram #39300 #torrelaveganizate #torrelavegamiciudad👌🔥 #cantabria #danzacantabria https://www.instagram.com/p/CXeMTAIMjWl/?utm_medium=tumblr

[wingsofsin]

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A post shared by Wings of Sin (@wingsofsin)

This is always one of my favorite customers to share. She's so talented! One of these days I'll get @epickiwii up to Vermont to dance. For now, here she is in her customized ogham side slit skirt I recently made for her. Song - I want my tears back by @nightwishband #nightwish #metal #metalhead #metaldance #metalbellydance #sworddance #swordbellydance #sword #goth #darkfashion #darkfusion #flowarts #wingsofsin #ogham https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu4EmrLHJeD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a1mkhazcbf36