#esmee and calamity

[sarah-thundercaller]

Esmee and Calamity are now cannon in a platonic relationship. No romance just great friends that finish each others sandwiches.

Also like they aren’t related to each other and both met in ravenwood academy after losing all their loved ones and just clung to each other because they made each other feel at home. Slowly over time tho I want them to intertwine souls in a magical sense a little bit. Like if one ran out of mana mid fight the other could teleport in and swap places with the one that ran out of mana and finish the fight. Always doing things together in sync. No one actually things they are completely synced with each other because that wouldn’t be possible. Right? Secretly they are completely in sync with each other. Especially once their souls combine with each other. They don’t lose there own soul over doing this. It just means anywhere feels like home.

Also that this will be a slow combine like it doesn’t even start happening until arc 2 and isn’t fully done until somewhere in arc 4 I think. Slowly over time developing there relationship with each other and there magic. Because ice and life can be one, and they can figure it out together :3

[truckreincarnation]

From a Nation’s Ashes || World State

With no nobles left to vie for power, the civil war was snuffed out unceremoniously. In the place of the monarchy, a council of several leaders informed by dozens of qualified advisors shouldered the task of governing Last Haven. The First Council was largely assembled from whoever was present in the capital, available, and felt up to the task (including Theophania, Avery, and – surprising some – Frank). Esmee and Yuliya stayed on as advisors to help get the government off the ground. Vee positioned herself as an advisor on matters of health and public safety, and Harriet offered what guidance she could to the council as well.

The Demon King ended up sending Manami herself to be his representative in Last Haven. While this was reflexively met with mistrust and scrutiny from the populace at first, her public status as the assassin who ended Calum IV’s disastrous reign eventually won over the common folk (and the more reticent councilors). She conveyed the Demon King’s decrees to the council whenever it was required, and did her part to ensure the city stayed a neighbor her beloved ruler could stand. Which, funnily enough, also had the effect of generally making it a better place to live. She also brought the Demon King’s announcement of a new name for the unified territory. No longer would this land be known by the combined names of its extinct ruling line. Now, Last Haven belonged to the Arisen Kingdom.

Once Last Haven’s government had been firmly established for a couple of years and was running smoothly, Theophania and Avery ceded their positions to live more private lives, and Esmee and Yuliya similarly departed. Their replacements, and all subsequent councilors, were elected by popular vote. Anyone with relevant expertise could volunteer or be called upon to advise. With no noble families to snatch up all the seats, it became a government of tradespeople, working witches, idealists, and of course Incarnates.

At peace, real peace, for the first time in hundreds of years, the shattered kingdom slowly, finally, began to mend. The wealth hoarded by the nobles was repurposed and put to more practical uses, such as rebuilding the damaged parts of Last Haven and improving the living conditions of those in the surrounding shantytowns. The nobles’ land, too, was divided among those who needed it more. Magical conveniences became even more widely accessible, now that the bulk of the nation’s craftspeople and witches were no longer dedicated to the all-consuming war effort. Initiatives to restore Calamity’s blighted and barren wastelands slowly began to bear fruit.

In the aftermath of Calamity’s fall and rebuild, one Felyn’mice formerly Arkanana had a lot of work to do. The conflict between the nobles had only inflated the number of Bound. That meant more people who would be in need of her service. Being very aware of the Demon King’s original desire for her death, and coming off a stint in an unpleasant (though not horrible) prison, Felyn had absolutely no desire to stay in Hivemount after her release. She quickly made her way back to Calamity, but not without taking the information that Hivemount had gathered on their own Bound with her.

It was a life’s work, a work of five hundred years of successive scientists really, that allowed for Bound to be returned to their original afterlife. Felyn dedicated herself to it thoroughly. Without having to play politics with the nobles and with proper funding and resources, the project expanded. By the end of Felyn’s long career, they would have a method of saving even the Lost Bound, though it was much trickier than the initial method. It was lucky too, that a number of spirit summoners had been willing to take up her work, training under her to learn the desummoning process. Summoning was, after all, a vital part of transmuting one’s soul through to another world. Soon enough, the method became widely known. Bound came from all over the country to end their curse, though not all Bound chose such an ending. There would always be those that chose to stay until they were Lost. But soon, that too would be treatable. It was only after cleaning up its own mess that this place could truly heal, after all.

Once even Lost Bound could be freed, the population steadily expanded once more into areas long deemed too hostile to occupy. This task ensured there was still demand for adventurers and mercenaries (native, foreign, and Incarnate) even as the peace held. The Solitude Plains, the northern wastes near the former border… even the great swamps became more habitable with the release of the many tormented souls that once wandered there. By the Demon King’s decree, Incarnates were given leave to establish settlements where they pleased within these newly revived lands.

Felyn’s hard work benefited the Arisen Kingdom diplomatically as well. With Lost Bound no longer a threat to neighboring countries, previously frosty relations started to slowly warm. The Dwarven Lands began to trade with the people of Last Haven again, and even allowed some intrepid Incarnates to venture into the country and secure the trade routes against the region’s many dangerous monsters. Tal’nula was slow to discard its grievances, but with their political ally the Demon King in control, they eventually came around as well.

With the war over, the Demon King found new, more diplomatic posts for his other generals, much like he had for Manami. Through their efforts, Hivemount, on the northern coast, became a hub for international maritime shipping and commerce. Should the adventurous among you ever grow tired of exploring the continent they were summoned to, now they have a gateway to the rest of this world.

Even in more peaceful times, Bound progressions could still happen. Very rarely, they could even shake out as so useful they offset their own downsides - as was the case for Manami. Not only did a certain incident trigger the re-unlocking of her old Desire Domain, but the following progression rather literally Split the Difference with the one you'd known her as having. Any of you who had personal dealings with her, or were still on speaking terms, would quickly find out she had two spiritually-linked bodies now - with no fixed upper limit to how far apart they could be! One more strongly connected to Desire, the other Glitch, functionally enabling her to be in two places at once. It was rather useful for her considering all the new responsibility she’d taken on in both Hivemount and Last Haven, and slightly terrifying to imagine the sort of havoc two Manamis flitting around could cause. Or, as they'd come to be known for ease of differentiating between the red one and blue one, Mana and Nami.

The little Cocoon charm you knew was in their possessions might have raised some alarms for the potential mischief she might get up to. But that would probably be fine. The two bodies might have been a little jarring, but despite everything, she was still her. She would always be receptive to entertaining you as guests in her home in Hivemount - not as delegates, but as friends.

Her reputation as a kingslayer was well-established. Manami had dealt the decisive blow against Calamity that kickstarted the final days of the war. There were rumors, whispers from conspiracy theorists that King Calum’s death had been an inside job. But that was ridiculous. Germain and Manami both were committed to making sure the rumors stayed just that - silly, easily dismissed rumors.

There were other rumors too. That the elusive Bound living next to Manami’s Hivemount home was a former royal agent of Calamity (they never denied this). That they were one of the heroes who’d been a thorn in the Demon King’s side centuries ago (nonsense). They didn’t have an official title, but from the messenger birds leaving their home for  the Demon King’s castle or Last Haven, they must’ve been doing some work for the people upstairs. On the occasions that they were at home, and they weren’t occupied with the Demon King’s bothersome delegate clipping through their walls, Germain told the truth (... mostly).

They questioned whether Manami’s frequent visits were a bumbling attempt to spy on them, or simply the nature of their unconventional friendship (maybe some mix of the two), but they entertained her all the same, and any other guests (though they didn’t expect particularly many). Their chains broken, they were frequently on the road, eager to embrace their newfound freedom, yet grateful for a home in Hivemount. Germain had picked up writing again, in their free time. As an adventurer, Germain took it upon themself to ensure leadership was kept apprised of the situation across the nation in detailed, if sporadic, reports. The last regime had forgotten that there was a world outside of Last Haven. Germain would help this one remember.

They had no desire to stay in the city that had restrained them for so long. They didn’t feel the same tugging on their chain, obligating them to help. But they still wanted to play their part, however small. They’d always seen Calamity as broken beyond fixing. But as they wandered, they saw the Arisen Kingdom’s people living happier, safer lives. At home in Hivemount, they saw the walls between old enemies slowly, but gradually, breaking down. They were beginning to understand. This was the world their old friends had hoped to create. The world their new friends brought into being.

[truckreincarnation]

Luxury Spoon || Perry Epilogue

And so, Perry chose to negotiate. It was a difficult decision, and she struggled with deciding all of the details. She knew that when it came to negotiating, she wouldn’t be of much help verbally. The best she could do was act as an anti-violence mediator, protecting both sides from being injured to the best of her abilities. As much as she sympathized with the Demon King’s cause, erasing a bunch of innocents was hardly something she was ok with.

Being offered some kind of leadership or advisor position, though? Dear god, no. Perry wanted nothing to do with that in the slightest. Even if Calamity was under a different name, a different banner, Perry wanted nothing to do with the land. It had been… a MISFORTUNE even knowing it.

Though Yuliya and Esmee had opted to stay to advise, Perry kissed them both a temporary goodbye, accepting some of Yuliya’s links and stealing away a series of valuable crystals from the husk that was once Amber, and set out for her personal final destination: Tal’nula.

With Alvarie’s help, Perry worked to establish a settlement nearby Alvarie’s hometown: A place with room for a ranch, and plenty of houses for people to settle down as they wanted. Using the money she’d acquired from Yuliya and the selling of the gems (she was scammed on the price a few times at first, not knowing the value of things. Alvarie quickly stepped in to help her understand the economy), Perry hired on an entire crew of contractors, starting with her own home and the barn for Yuliya’s eventual ranch.

During her time separated from her girlfriends for this project, she kept in daily, long-distance contact with them via the Bonds telepathy network AND through exchanged physical love letters. However, contact is extended to far more than just them, as she used the journal, letters, and telepathy where possible with Shin, Avery, Frank, and Manami. She also continued to speak in the journal to give building updates.

Funnily enough, though, Perry found herself communicating with Frank for advice on building up the settlement, which he gladly does, joking that if she chose the outskirts of town she’d be accused of being a witch. Well oops!! Still, with Frank’s help in hiring other contractors, the work was finished at a steady rate, including a nice fountain in the center of town made by Frank themself!

As people began to wrap up their work repairing Calamity’s government, Perry passed on the news of the settlement’s progress. Soon enough, both Esmee and Yuliya also moved in, as the three began to share a singular home, with the barn and ranching area fully available to Yuliya. Of course, though, they had in-and-out visitors in the form of Avery, Shin, and Alvarie (the latter of which was still actively flirting with all three home residents) whenever they were in town.

Though the entire completion of the area took Perry about four years to complete in full.

As the contractors left the area, Perry took multiple months to rest after the project, before jumping out into the world by taking part in Shin’s mercenary group, spending a large amount of her time with Esmee here, and sometimes bringing Yuliya along as well! While she dropped in and out depending on the needs of her life at any point in time, roughly six years after he time with the Shin’s team, Perry managed to reach level 5 with the Harvest domain! Where many others could make this journey nigh immediately, it took Perry 10 years of being in this world to make the achievement required to seek out the Harvest domain guardian.

While accompanied by Shin for the trip to find the guardian, Perry came across them to receive her quest in exchange for a blessing. The goal? To find a village that was dying out, be it by poor birth rate, low crop yield, disease, or something of the sort. From there she was tasked to find a way to revive the village by whichever means deemed necessary. What?? What??? Alvarie just needed to FIGHT her guardian, this was going to take like a whole year! Perry pouted about it, but didn’t back down from the challenge.

During that year of work, it wasn’t uncommon for Avery to stop by and offer aid where she needed it, allowing them to spend precious free time hanging out, as well. During a period where she was working alone, she progressed from the stress and took on a full centaur form.

Eventually, upon the completion of her task, she received her blessing in the form of the ability to permanently store a select amount of compliments that she had the ability to apply to herself at a time in which she needed it. To go over that select amount, she’d have to remove another stored trait, much like save files in a video game.

Returning home as a centaur was certainly awkward with Dimitri present and the horse ranch as a whole, especially with Perry herself now being fully rideable as a battle mount as well. It took her some getting used to, both in life and in her relationship, but after enough time had passed, she’d settled down into the new form.

Things for Perry were rather cyclical after that: Manage the settlement, hang out with friends, date her girlfriends, go out on mercenary work. She steadily grew stronger and stronger over the years, as well, eventually unlocking her own second domain by her 23rd year in this world: Passion. These powers for her largely manifested in the form of the ability to rally and encourage others to take risks for their own and others’ benefits, to stand up for themselves, and to find the things they enjoyed the most in life (with the added benefit of Perry being granted aid in the ability to tell when others were lying about their feelings).

And this worked out, for the most part, wonderfully for her. Over the years, she’d managed to mature as a person and mellow out, largely in part due to her bound curse and occasional stress-related progressions. The speed at which she’d progressed had overall slowed massively compared to when she was in the ritual. But even during the progressions she did have, it seemed like they were limited to her Harvest domain exclusively, the Passion domain remaining uncorrupted.

That is… until it wasn’t anymore. 42 years into her time in the world, while she was out on a regular mercenary trip with Shin’s group, she’d made the bright idea to temporarily split up with the group to gather resources for a meal. Not all things could be controlled, of course, as she came face-to-face with a lost bound more powerful than what she could handle on her own. For the first time since her death in the game, Perry died.

It took her a month to regenerate this time, leaving her loved ones in the dark as to when she’d return. But when she came back… There was new corruption coursing through her body. Her Passion domain that’d once been a great boon to her also became a vice. She had an uncontrollable rage within her core, only narrowly held back by her Harvest need to please those around her. Her form had twisted into something no longer recognizable as human. She now came with an aura that spread her deep-rooted anger to anyone around her. And… She was on the edge of becoming lost.

With what minimal rationality she had remaining within her, she made the decision to be unsummoned and return to her peace in death. 65 years old was much older than she’d originally been granted, after all… Perhaps there was a success in that, even through the tearful goodbyes she had to give to her girlfriends, to her friends, and her new family. Still… It was time to go. Nothing lasts forever.

And at 65, Perry’s soul returned to the aether, back in its restful state of death. Where her soul would remain for the rest of eternity.