#in general it does feel like its faster! but the fast animations threw me off at the beginnjng

[raven-wraith]

This is Actually a Completely Subjective List Written in a Completely Objective Voice, so I’m not Wrong, Y’all just had a Bad Year: A Look at the Best Titles of 2020 A.D.

By Orova

I feel like a recap or an intro that encompasses the past year will be redundant to both the reader and the writer, so I just won’t. Instead, I’ll just say that due to circumstances provided by 2020, I had a lot of time to just shut up and play games. And games did I play. I played a lot of good games[1]. I played a lot of bad games[2]. I bought the newest games that came out[3] and I went back down memory lane with some classics[4]. But at the end of every day, I was completely satisfied with how I spent my time and did what I wanted. So this is a list of the games that surpassed satisfaction, pushed the bar higher, and made me reconsider what a truly great game can be in 2020.

The Last Of Us Part II

This game is a beautiful work of art and storytelling. If gripping gameplay is what you came for, then you’ll be staying for the story. Naughty Dog continues to come out with games that push current gen Playstations to astronomical heights, making that hardware and software work overtime to get a game that becomes so overwhelmingly tangible that it cause the player to stop. The Last of Us Part II is no exception to this rule. So often does this game take lefts and rights when you expect it to go straight that it is absolutely insane how much ground it truly covers. Sneaking about before getting into claustrophobic gunfights feels smooth and natural, the new mechanics and enemies are unique, and while the non-linear parts can overstay their welcome at times, the game is long enough for them to not fill in empty space. 

When I first played this, I was with my girlfriend for the whole journey and at the end, I didn’t feel quite as fulfilled as I thought I should’ve from the sequel to one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. It wasn’t until I returned on a higher difficulty did I find just how much this game has to offer, making the story all the more powerful as every fight truly felt like my last and every enemy made me rethink my choices and decision making and every arrow I fired and molotov I threw felt a nice weight to it that I have to emphasize once more. This game is a beautiful work of art and storytelling as the gameplay speaks for itself before anything else.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

To those that actually care, I reviewed this game when it came out[5] and I was shocked to find how many people didn’t appreciate it as much as I did. Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential titles of my life that being able to see Cloud’s hair rendered so cleanly in this dystopian futuristic gothic fantasy world was a miracle in my eyes. A dream come true. The action comes in spades with enough sword fighting and magic to make Power Rangers to look like a fucking picnic.

The graphical design of the game, the direction of animation, and the cunning take on a lot of depth we never got to see so early on makes me very excited for future titles to come. There are some downsides, lots involving the side quests and voice acting, but that is just some of its downsides to look past to find the content at its core. Shooting moonbeams out of your greatsword at stormtroopers while in chase on a motorcycle. Take down a tyrannical oil monger as an eco-terrorist. Find cats for a little girl. Is this a Bioshock? No. But is it a game I keep trying to remind myself to not replay? Yes.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake

Superman by Goldfinger played and my sister laughed as she watched me cry. This game brought tears to my eyes, literally. As I got to relive sitting in my grandma’s basement, I was propelled to complete absolutely everything I wanted to do. This game was a complete package and its delivery was spot on with what a remake should be. A collection on a past game with quality of life improvements, enhanced handling and accessibility, and a software overhaul.

The game is simple. Complete challenges, unlock drip, flex on your friends. Usually in that order. But it is finally that simplicity in a new game that makes it such a good title. We wanted the game we knew and loved and they promised that. Nothing more, nothing less, it is exactly what we got. A new soundtrack, updated graphics, and nostalgia not most can achieve is a massive point to play this game.

Huntdown

Contra meets Kung Fury. Why the fuck have you not grabbed a friend and played this masterpiece yet. I mean seriously. If you’ve got a roommate or SO or friend with nothing going on tonight, play this shit. It’s great. Moving on.

Mortal Shell

I would like to address the fact that, yes, this is a souls-like and it isn’t exactly the most friendly game because of it. However, this game came out of fucking nowhere and blew me on my ass. Going back to delivering on a promise, these guys crafted an unforgiving title with little to no hand holding to show that this-THIS[6]-is how you make a souls-like. It is balls to the walls skill based combat where the player has to use what little tools they have to overcome a myriad of enemies. Progress is possible only through rewards and items, meaning there is no grinding or farming, just straight gameplay.

This is a game where I paid half the price for a full game and got, while a shorter title, the enjoyment from a full priced AAA game. It takes no time to complete when the “click” happens and it is a fun, fulfilling title the whole time. There are some incredibly unique mechanics that forced me to break my souls brain and for that, it just makes the experience far more personal. If you aren’t weak hearted, I cannot recommend Mortal Shell enough.

Doom Eternal

When Doom Eternal dropped, my sister was playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. After we both went into respective video game comas from it, we dubbed March 20th Doom Crossing Day. Doom is Doom. Nothing more to say past that honestly, but I will continue my rambling cause I know it’s what you all want anyway.

These guys keep cranking the intensity knob higher and higher. With Doom 2016 these guys said, “Hey, what if we gave the best first person shooter that requires no thinking whatsoever to completely obliterate enemies and zoom around the map at breakneck speeds?” With Eternal, the guys said, “Hey, what if we did what we did for 2016 except this time, we actually have the everyone (enemies and the player) move faster, hit harder, and actually require them to think?” With that, the gore orgy of Doom Eternal was born. Still very much a fast paced shooter with some extra content to fill the pockets of completionists, it delivers in fucking truckloads exactly what it wants from the player. To let loose and fucking floor every hellish abomination in their path.

And the soundtrack, while a sad story, is still one of the best things to listen to in gaming and probably the world.

Darkwood

The only thing that made me stop to consider buying this game was how reliant on a crafting system it seemed. I hate games that force crafting. I don’t know why, so I won’t elaborate. But, done with The Last of Us Part II and needing a survival horror itch to scratch, I sucked it up and bought it. After all, being an indie title for a genre I admire more than most, it couldn’t have been a terrible waste of time. That was probably the single best decision I made during the last year and Darkwood is not lost on me in that sense.

The fact that Darkwood has not only exposed the horizon of top-down horror, but it has experimented and perfected its use for the camera angle is astounding. The atmosphere rides on that perspective and, between the short days of scavenging and talking to the few NPCs you meet to the long nights crouched in the corner of your (un)safe haven, it is never lost. It’s a game where you constantly hear your heart in your ears. The combat can be sloppy at times but the story is one of a kind and its execution is phenomenal. If you are a fan of horror games or roguelikes, I cannot tell you enough. Get Darkwood.

Deep Rock Galactic

After lots of thoughtful consideration, I have deemed this the number one title of 2020. Not only did it keep me and my friends together and in touch during the hard times, it is a shooter that I support with my whole body. You and your friends play as a team of drunk space dwarves, tasked with a mission that sends you deep into a spider-infested planet, where you will have to use your class sets to fight, plunder, and escape the hostile environment.

With PvE at its core and ridiculousness as its foundation, Deep Rock Galactic is a masterpiece of cooperative shooting and procedurally generated dungeon crawling. Blending class play from Team Fortress 2 with unexpected and differing missions from Darkest Dungeon, one will find this lighthearted shooter is an easy, accessible title. With a hint of Risk of Rain to complete its graphics, the game is above all fun. That’s right. It. Is. Just. Fun. Shoot a spider that launches fireballs from its mouth, drink beer that teleports you into the farthest reaches of space, get rich off of gold veins while your team calls you greedy, dye your beard purple, and Rock and Stone in this amazing fusion of PvE and dungeon crawling. 

Thank you for coming. There will be no score. It is simply a list where I feel those that need some new titles after the biggest disappointment of them all[7] should find some great titles in here for themselves. Have a safe next year and be patient. Patience is what will reward you. Practice is what humbles you. Hesitation is defeat. Toodles.

[1] Ghostrunner

[2] Hellpoint

[3] Mafia: Definitive Edition

[4] Silent Hill 3

[5] 9/10

[6] Not you Hellpoint

[7] Cyberpunk 2077 but I mean, we all saw this coming. I had to put it in here somewhere.

[smxmuffinpeddling]

The only sound in the room was the distracting fwip fwip fwip of the spinning fan overhead, enhancing the chill that fell on the pair.

“What… what did you just say?” Yuzu whispered incredulously.

The wall just past Yuzu’s head seemed to hold all of Mei’s attention at the question, her face betraying none of the emotion her statement should have entailed.

“Are you serious? Is this some kind of joke?” Yuzu’s voice rose in an attempt to rid the room of the suffocating feeling. Mei remained silent in a damning way. The plush of their bedroom rug under her feet may as well have been snatched away to leave a gaping void beneath her.

Mei allowed Yuzu to process her words for a few moments, let her pace the floor and run a hand through her curling hair until she could think of her next question.

Quiet, dreading, Yuzu finally asked: “How long have you..?”

At that Mei swallowed back the horrid guilt that had been building up in her throat for quite some time now. “I’ve always known that it was a possibility. A candidate was officially chosen two weeks ago.”

She watched Yuzu’s feet stagger back as if Mei had slapped her right in the face.

“So… you’re engaged to someone else now?” There it was, the weak heartbreak in her voice that Mei feared the most. Her hands balled into fists to contain her own heartbreak at the sound of it.

“Yes.”

A harsh exhale of disbelief rushed out of Yuzu as she stared at Mei, who refused to meet her eyes. She tilted her head forward in an attempt to connect their gazes. “Why did you wait to tell me?”

Mei took a deep breath to center herself before answering Yuzu’s gaze with a firm one of her own. “I’m only telling you because Matsuri threatened to tell you first.”

“So you wouldn’t have told me?” There was hurt and accusation in her voice. “The person you’re dating?”

Mei’s feet planted themselves more firmly into the floor despite her kneeling heart.

Their bed squeaked as Yuzu sat on it, staring blankly at her hands. At the ring on her finger that Mei wasn’t currently wearing. Green eyes looked up, questioning and desperate. “But-but it doesn’t matter, right? Because you’re dating me. So, it shouldn’t matter. Right?”

Mei crossed her arms and sighed. “It does matter. This is something I can’t ignore any longer.”

“Weren’t you the one who told me that we should do what we want?” Her voice was low and thick and holding something back. “What happened to that, huh?”

“Life isn’t that simple. I have an important decision to make now--”

In a burst of movement Yuzu’s hand lashed out and tossed one of their pillows against the opposite wall, making Mei flinch.

“I don’t accept that. I don’t get it!” Yuzu stood up, her eyebrows drawn tight.

Mei was trying to remain calm but her heart was beginning to beat faster and there was a tightness in her chest that restricted her breathing. “What don’t you understand?”

“Any of this! What do you mean you’re engaged? What do you mean you have to make a decision?”

“If you’re going to react like that, I was right to keep you in the dark.”

Yuzu resumed her pacing like an agitated animal. “That’s not how this works, Mei!”

“Then how does it work? Enlighten me.”

“Oh don’t give me that, you know damn well what’s wrong with this situation.”

“I said I was going to deal with it myself, there’s no reason for you to get involved.”

“Oh screw that!”

The only way Mei could possibly respond was to raise her voice in defense to Yuzu’s obvious displeasure. “You can’t help me this time, Yuzu. You’ll only get in the way, stay out of this.”

“How do you expect me to just-- Oh my god, you’re engaged!” Yuzu’s hands gripped her hair and her eyes widened like it just hit her clearly all over again.

“I thought we already established that.”

“I’m still processing this. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

“Are you honestly so surprised? With my type of family, you really didn’t expect this? I’ve been engaged before, you know this.”

She stopped her pacing to stand in front of Mei, grasping her arms. “No! You were mine! I thought you were mine!”

Yuzu flinched when Mei slapped her hands off of her. “I don’t belong to you, I’ve always had a responsibility to my family. Not that you’d understand.”

“This… this isn’t right. It can’t be right,” Yuzu pleaded again. Closing her eyes against the sight, Mei turned away from Yuzu.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, good job!” Yuzu spat.

“Stop acting so immature.”

Yuzu’s eyes blazed in offense. “I have every right to be angry!”

Mei turned back around to face her, her mouth tasting bitter. “You’re always acting without thinking about the consequences of your actions, like a child.”

“I act thinking about you!” A finger jabbed in Mei’s general direction as the younger girl scoffed.

“Well, it doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes it feels like you only act on what you want. I’m always the one thinking about the bigger picture, about the future.”

“I never know what you’re thinking about! Ever! I’m not a mind reader, Mei, you have to tell me whats going on in your head!”

“I owe you no such thing when you don’t allow me the same courtesy.”

“I gave you everything and you lied to me. You’re engaged!” she cried. Mei clenched her teeth at the redness of Yuzu’s face, the angry tears coming down. Her eyes went to the floor again as she fought off the tightness squeezing her ribs together.

“I didn’t lie, I just…” Even before her words trailed off, the excuse sounded weak to her own ears.

Further realization seemed to sink in Yuzu's words, loading them even further with weight. "Is this why you've been so hesitant to go further with me?"

Mei's shoulder's hitched up. "Shut up," she mumbled under her breath.

"All these mixed signals you send me are because apparently 'you knew it was a possibility' that you'd get engaged?" Yuzu used incredulous air quotes as she connected the dots. "You told me it was okay to love you!"

"Shut up," Mei hissed in a last-ditch attempt to ward off the strangling pain.

Yuzu angrily wiped at the tears that she couldn't seem to stop. "Mei, I'm so mind-numbingly in love with you, but dammit. Just when I think I finally understand you better... How exactly am I supposed to take this?"

The tightening in Mei's chest snapped and words exploded out of her like vomit. "If it's so hard to be with me then why don't you just leave me be?!"

Her words rang in their ears like a gun, leaving them both flushed and breathless at the unfamiliar sound. "You know what," Once Yuzu recovered her anger returned ten-fold. "Maybe I should! I need a break from trying to figure you out!"

Mei followed on her heels as Yuzu stormed towards the entrance to gather her shoes. The words spilling out of her mouth she had little control over. “You’ve caused me no end of stress, now I can have some peace of mind!”

“Oh, I’m just a nuisance to you, huh? Let me make things easier for you then!” Yuzu kept trying to put her shoe on the wrong foot, forcing her feet in with ire alone.

“You, making things easier for me? Don’t make me laugh,” Mei snarked in that infuriating ‘I’m smarter than you’ way.

“I’ve been trying to make you laugh for a year, thanks for noticing! Mission freaking accomplished!” Yuzu snarked back as she snatched the door open and stomped out the doorway.

“Just leave me alone, Yuzu.”

Mei was about to slam the door shut behind her until Yuzu froze with a gasp. Lighting fast she threw herself back, slamming her shoulder against the swinging door just before it closed.

“Wait, hold on a sec, you’re doing that thing, that sneaky thing!” she grunted. Mei pushed back against the door, begging to be left alone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re not shutting me out!” Her rage allowed her to shove her way back inside. Mei groaned quietly and stalked back to their room, Yuzu scrambling to kick her shoes off behind her. Before Mei could shut the door in Yuzu’s face again, she managed to block that as well.

“You’re trying to push me away again so you can have a pity party,” Yuzu accused hotly while she chased Mei down. She nearly tripped over herself when Mei stopped walking and spun around to glare at her.

Apparently, when Mei’s anger reached its peak, it turned scathing cold like a blizzard wind. “How dare you? Do not speak to me like that.”

The heat of her own feelings allowed Yuzu to withstand the chill. “Like what? Like someone calling you out on your bullshit?”

Mei shook her head. “You’re unbelievable. You have no idea what I’ve been going through and what I’ve been dealing with,” Mei said in a biting tone that Yuzu seemed to disregard completely.

“Big deal, why can’t you just tell your family to shove it where the sun don’t shine? What are you afraid of?” Yuzu continued to wade deeper into the dangerous unfamiliar territory that was Mei’s anger.

“I won’t run away from this. I’m not a selfish coward like my father.”

Yuzu was taken aback at the low blow to their father. “Your dad was brave for standing up for what he believed in!”

“He ran away.” Taking advantage of her height, Mei tilted her chin up and looked down at the other girl. “That’s not who I am.”

Yuzu’s nails were biting into her palms and her body was shaking from containing a whirlwind of things she wanted to say and scream. “So that’s it then? Does that mean you’re going to break up with me? After everything?”

The ceiling fan overhead kept fwipping away diligently even as it felt like the walls were crumbling around them.

“Like I said, I have a decision to make.” Mei’s own cold anger must’ve numbed her because her sentence was entirely detached of feeling. It was said with an indifference that may as well have been a dagger to Yuzu’s chest.

The blonde regarded Mei with sad eyes and a rigid jaw. “I don’t know who you are right now. I feel like such an idiot.”

The ice in Mei’s vicinity melted a little as she stiffly stepped closer to the older girl.

“I didn’t want this, Yuzu.”

“But you’re choosing it over me,” Yuzu said with loathsome understanding.

“I have duties that I simply can’t abandon because of... whatever this is.”

Yuzu snorted ironically, her smirk forced and sad and her voice hitching like she was about to cry again. “You’re a coward, Mei.”

Mei was good at acting like she didn’t feel the pain of that statement like a punch in the gut. “Grow up, Yuzu. I don’t want to feel like I’m the only adult in this relationship.”

Yuzu stepped closer so that they were nose to nose, making sure Mei couldn’t ignore every ounce of everything she was feeling. “Well excuse me, but you just implied we’re not in a real relationship!”

“Because it’s irresponsible! As great as it was, we’re living in a fantasy and we need to wake up!” Mei did not back down from trying to make Yuzu understand.

A frustrated growl ripped its way from Yuzu’s throat. “Oh my god, I’ve never been so pissed off in my entire life! But I’m also weirdly happy because this is the most I’ve talked to you and I’m seeing a side of you I’ve never seen! And you know what?” Yuzu poked Mei in the shoulder with an accusatory finger. “You’re even freaking cute when you’re angry! How are you real?” Yuzu asked with genuine bafflement.

Mei blinked several times at Yuzu.

She was utterly thrown off balance by the glimpse of awe and affection Yuzu was displaying mixed in with the pain she had caused. Even after everything, Yuzu was still incapable of hating her and that more than anything broke Mei.

Suddenly the front of Yuzu’s shirt was in her fists and she was pushing her back into a wall. “Why are you like this? Why are you making this so hard for me?” she asked in bewilderment.

“You’re the one being difficult!”

“Because this is the reality of being with me!” Mei’s cold persona was ripped away as she yelled in desperation. “It’s difficult and impossible and I don’t know how to handle any of it! Because if I told you, you’d do something stupid to help me! You’d drop everything to save me because that’s the kind of person you are!” Yuzu was pushed farther back into the wall as tears finally welled up in Mei’s eyes and spilled over her reddened cheeks.

Yuzu struggled against the grip on her top. “Mei, I--” She was firmly held in place by Mei.

“Don’t deny it. I can see the gears turning in your head.”

Yuzu gaped at her because she absolutely would do that. In a heartbeat. Several half-baked plans churned away in her head at that very moment. They could run away or she could give their grandfather a piece of her mind or she could offer herself up for marriage to spare Mei from that fate or maybe murder Mei’s fiance--

“Yuzu, you can’t. I absolutely won’t let you interfere. You’re too good to be dragged along with me!” Her grip softened with her plea and her hands rested limply on top of Yuzu’s chest between them. Her next words were whispered into the blonde’s shoulder as Mei hid her face there. Both her voice and vision were watery.

“I need you to trust me. I need you to believe that I will make the right decision for the both of us. Please. Let me do this myself.”

Under Mei’s weight, Yuzu’s body sagged as those words reached her, draining all the fight that had built up in her limbs. The light bulb on the ceiling seemed to flicker along with the ceiling fan, or maybe it was Yuzu blinking back the rest of her tears. She hesitantly reached up to cover Mei’s hands with her own, squeezing briefly. Her touch felt warm and steady and Mei was so ready to melt into it until Yuzu gently pulled away. “I don’t know how to do that… I need some air,” she muttered hoarsely, gaze swimming with a jumble of conflicting emotion.

Mei could only stand there silently as Yuzu retrieved her shoes from wherever she kicked them before. Couldn’t even wipe her tears away when she heard the door open and shut, marking Yuzu’s departure. She could only manage to crawl into bed and stare at the ceiling, unblinking and unseeing. The obnoxious fwip fwip fwip of the fan continued above her, along with the overwhelming ache in her chest.

‘Please don’t leave me,” she thought, and her own selfishness made her sick.

.-.-.

Sleep avoided Mei at all costs. She waited for Yuzu to return, not knowing what to expect and trying not to hope. Hope for what, she wasn’t sure. When the doorway finally stirred around midnight, Mei’s stomach lurched with a mix of dread and relief. She remained still in the darkness as Yuzu walked in the room. Her warm presence hesitated for a moment before Mei felt the bed dip drastically when Yuzu collapsed upon it face-first. The dark haired girl considered pretending to be asleep, but her need to reach out was gnawing away at her insides like she was starving.

“Where were you?”

Yuzu was quiet and Mei wondered if Yuzu had fallen asleep that quickly or if she was too mad to speak to her. When the silence stretched out, Mei rolled over in defeat so that her back was turned away from Yuzu.

“I ran all the way to Gramps’ place,” Yuzu finally grumbled against her pillow much to Mei’s surprise.

“What? Yuzu, I told you-”

“I know.” Yuzu interrupted tiredly. She sounded so small and exhausted. “I didn’t go in. I was going to tell him off but…”

“But?”

“I thought about what you said. What I was doing was stupid. And most importantly… it wouldn’t change how you feel. About me.”

Mei’s heart thudded away loud enough that she thought she wouldn’t be able to hear Yuzu. It tripled in speed when Yuzu shifted so that she was pressed up against her back.

“I do trust you, Mei, even after everything. Whatever you decide… I’ll support you,” Yuzu said slowly as she settled her weigh against Mei.

Mei felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Thank you,” she managed to whisper around the lump in her throat.

Yuzu’s arm wrapped around her middle, her hand seeking out Mei’s and intertwining their fingers. “Mei… when I put that ring on your finger, you and I became ‘us’. We have to be a team. You don’t have to face this alone. Maybe I can’t do anything now, but I want to stand by you no matter what.” She gave Mei’s hand a squeeze. “Even if you decide to give this ring back.”

Mei couldn’t help it. As much as she told herself she was only going to hurt the both of them, she couldn’t help holding onto Yuzu’s hand like a lifeline. She was weak, and Yuzu’s warmth made her feel safe and loved. “You don’t deserve this.”

“You can’t decide that for me.” Yuzu’s voice was soft and firm. When did she mature so much? “And I… I guess I can’t force you to make up your mind about us. No matter how much I want to. I just… I want you to be as sure about our relationship as I am. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I want you in it, okay?” Her hold tightened around Mei’s waist and her face was pressed against her shoulder, spreading heat and moisture there when Yuzu breathed out.  

“It hurts…” Was Yuzu’s muffled and pained whisper. “This feeling of helplessness… It hurts so much. Is this what you feel? Everyday? I’m sorry I didn’t notice. I really suck at being a girlfriend and a sister.” Yuzu’s body shuddered against her in a telltale sign she was holding back a sob.

She made a squeak of surprise when Mei suddenly squirmed to turn around in Yuzu’s arms, pushing Yuzu onto her back and burying her face in Yuzu’s neck in a hug.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m sorry.” Yuzu’s heartbeat was strong against her and she was so so guilty for loving her so much. “How I feel about you is the only thing in my life that I’m sure about. That is real.

“You were right. I am a coward. I’m scared,” Mei, at last, admitted in a fractured tone. “When my father left, he was looked down on by everyone. It was like a stain on the family name that wouldn’t go away. I love him but, he caused my grandfather a lot of pain. It took a lot of suffering to fight for our family name and put us back on the map. I don’t want him to go through any of that again. He entrusted me with his legacy and I want to protect it. But I’m also scared of losing you.”

“You won’t lose me,” Yuzu promised with such reassurance that Mei’s very soul was eased even if the back of her mind still whispered that they couldn’t last forever.

“You’re being dumb again,” Mei mumbled grumpily as she kissed Yuzu’s chest above her heart. Yuzu chuckled at that, wrapping her arms around Mei again and pressing her lips to the top of her head in a forgiving gesture.

“Not as dumb as you.” And that was, weirdly enough, the right thing to say. There was no right answer and Mei was tired of torturing herself looking for it. Under that thought she was comforted and she allowed herself the privilege of falling asleep in her love’s arms. Maybe there was no right answer, but this moment felt right.

[relto]

well, the new coli is.. something.

[lillianaek]

In another world... Part 4

Vernnese Pureshed wished that she knew what was wrong with the general. She has never seen her so worried and cried herself till she was sick in bed. She was walking towards the royal library of Arranna when a thought hit her. Asteria. That name. She should go and do some research about it since she was going to the library anyway. She could feel the general lying, somehow. Vernnese pushed open the large oak doors of the library. The royal library of Arranna was big and spacious but nothing compared to the Great Library of Elonae. She once heard that it holds almost everything. Literally from history to politics to every other thing. But that is what she heard. Perhaps she should ask the general since she is from Elonae. Vernnese stood at the doorway of the library when something suddenly whizz past her and its fingernails scraped stone. Stone. Vernnese looked around and saw nothing and no one. Screee. Screee. Screee. There she heard it again. She turned around again and found no one. Again and again, it kept happening. Stop it. Stop it right now. This is just your imagination, don't be ridiculous Vernnese. Vernnese thought to herself. Ignoring it, she walked up to a shelf full of books about magic and took the book she last left off the shelf the past time. Finding her favourite corner and seat in the whole of the library, Vernnese sat down, allowing the book to settle in her lap and opening it to the page she last left off. She read the first word and, " Beatrice, can you please help me get a plate of butter cookies and lavender tea from Cook Shiffon?" Beatrice, Vernnese's personal servant bowed low to the waist and said, "Yes Princess. It shall be here in ten minutes." Vernnese just waved a dismissive hand and told Beatrice, "Don't be so formal, Beatrice. It's fine. And thanks." Vernnese read all one page and suddenly looked up and glanced at the bookshelf. Something was different about it, as if someone came in and carefully rearranged the books from the oldest to the most recent book. Though all the books were very, very old. Some even date back to the first war and that was like fifteen thousand years ago! Shrugging, Vernnese just continued reading and even when her tea came, she just thanked her servant and left her off. ~ Thump, thump, thump. Screee. "Master," The thing outside the library that had just dashed passed the Princess said. The thing was like an animal and yet not. It was human and tall and its voice is as squeaky as a mouse. It's skin colour was so pale that from afar you might just think that it is a huge fish belly. It's eyelids we're like the sort of a bloodhound, heavy-lidded and always drooping as it blinks. It is a complete wonder how that thing even sees anything at all! "Did you find anything worthwhile in the library this time or are you just going to waste my time again?" It's master said with such annoyance that it was a miracle that thing can even work with him. Well, it sounded like a him. And so did that thing when it spoke. " The second born of Arranna is reading in the library, Master. But exactly what she is reading about, I cannot seem to get close enough. As if there was a spell or something like that around her. But, magic" the thing spat the word as if it was poison on its tongue, "is gone and she doesn't have them. It is impossible to be used." Its master was silent for a long while. Calculating their best next move. It then finally said, "I want you to install fear in her and watch her while you're at it." The thing bowed low and stalked off the area, no doubt going to do as his master commanded him to without waiting. What better time than the night when everything is so dark. Screee, screee, screee. It's nails scraped as if saying, you're going onto my menu. ~ The mantel clock uptop of the library wall chimed and Vernnese Pureshed sighed. You should go, it seemed to sing. A sudden scrape of nails against stone had Vernnese coming fully alert. She should really go and get herself ready for her dinner appointment with the general and her siblings and maybe tell this incident to them if they would even believe her on this ridiculous thing that might just be her wild imagination. Bracing her feet on the floor, Vernnese got up from the couch she was sitting on and her shoes thundered softly against the floor. On near silent footsteps, she took the book from her lap and placed it back on the shelf. Screee, screee, screee. The scraping of nails seems to be getting closer and closer. Vernnese tried to remember the passages that have stones in or on them so that she could probably choose which direction she could run. Deciding that she doesn't care anymore, Vernnese sprinted for the large oak doors of the library. Thump, thump, screee. Closer and closer the sound was and Vernnese knew just one thing. To get to safety. The nearest room where she will be temporarily safe was the General's room. Without giving herself time to reconsider, Vernnese sprinted for the General's room with all the strength and speed her legs and body could master. But it seems like the faster she runs, the closer that thing behind her was. The castle hallways were a blur as she ran past them till she could see the General's room. Ten rooms. Six rooms. Three rooms. Slower and slower she ran, her energy almost completely drained from running up the near uncountable amount of stairs. How in the world did the general get used to this? Vernnese thought while she hurled herself into the General's luxurious room and closed her door with a loud slam. She fumbled for the locks on the door and found three. The door shuddered violently from the impact of that thing throwing its weight to open the door when Vernnese locked the second lock. Just as she locked the third lock and turned around, she found the general standing at the bedroom doorway, eyes glowing with predatory intent on the door. ~ Elaine Ayrshire was just going to get herself dressed and ready for dinner the royal siblings appointed just this afternoon. She had only just placed her book back to its shelf when she heard hurried steps and a sudden loud slam of her suite door. Elaine quickly grabbed her sword, one that was forged by one of Elonae's greatest blacksmiths, and slowly eased her bedroom door just to find the Princess standing there trying to lock the door. Whatever was outside suddenly threw its body weight to the door and it shuddered from the impact. The Princess locked the third lock and turned, bringing her face front with Elaine. But her eyes weren't fixed on the tired princess, it was fixed wholly on the door as she ordered, "Get up and away from the door. Come behind me now." Oh, she knew that she might just get into a hell lot of trouble for ordering the Princess that way but the Princess just thoroughly obeyed and ran behind her. She even tried to pull Elaine into the bedroom, but no, she would not go anywhere. One of them has to fight. "What the hell is that?" Elaine, perhaps a bit rudely, asked. The Princess, face paled with fear and unable to muster up any sort of words, just shook her head vigorously. "So you have no idea what or who that thing is or why it was chasing you?" Elaine asked again, eyes fixed on the door and knees bent, preparing herself for an attack. "No, I was just in the library when it chased me." "Did you see what it looked like?" "No. I didn't dare look behind me." Elaine sighed and she ran through all her lessons and information she knew when she remembered one thing. "Does it make any noise?" A nod. "What did it sound like?" "Scrapes on stone. Like screee." the Princess's body shook from fear. "Scrapes on stone?" Elaine clarified, the words were a whoosh of breath. A nod and the Princess seemed to want to say something when she noticed Elaine's very, very pale face and stopped. "What?" the Princess asked. Elaine shook her head, a swift cut of her head. "The Princess," the thing said. "What is it that you want, Elaine said, dragging her attention back to the door, voice like steel. " The Princess, the thing seethed. A chill ran down her spine. "Get out or you'll regret your little visit." Elaine snarled viciously towards the door. Behind her the Princess legs buckled so wildly that it was a wonder that the girl was still standing. "Give me the Princess, General. I was promised my dinner. Do not interfere." Princess Vernnese sank onto the edge of her bed, a hand over her mouth. She so much wanted to join the Princess but somebody had to fight whatever was outside the door. She was a general, and she will not yield. Not now, not ever. And she will bow to no one. Especially not that thing outside. After this, she would get all the answers she wanted because if it is what she thinks it is, then everyone is in danger. By right, that thing, if she was right, was not supposed to be in this world. So Elaine took her stand, bent her knees, and prepared herself for an attack. A sudden crash and more shouting and it went silent. Too silent. Elaine stood very still, sensing and calculating. Voices sounded from the hallway asking them whether they were safe or hurt and Elaine loosed a long shuddering breath. One of relief. Elaine answered that they were alright and walked to the door on silent footsteps, a dagger poised behind her just in case, and opened it. To her relief and shock, the royal siblings were there too with a few other guards. They explained to her that Beatrice, the Princess' personal servant, saw the Princess running frantically towards the lage Oak doors of the library and felt something was wrong. So, she called them and just in time for them to find her being chased by something they didn't know. Something too fast to be seen. ~ Back in his sister's room, Vernnese vomited again. The general had cancelled the dinner to give his sister time to recover from the shock despite her negotiations. The general just said, give your body time to rest, and that has been that. And now, holding his sister in his arms and pushing back her hair so that it doesn't get in the way, she was full of simmering rage and undiluted fear. "The th-thing was so fast. As I-if the faster I ran, t-the faster it g-gets." Vernnese stammered. Stephen didn't know what to do. It was pure terror that had his sister so sick and there was little to be done than to sit beside her and try soothing her. She was silent for a long while, as if trying to spool the terror back into her. His sister leaned back, rested her head on his broad shoulders and sighed. He had so many questions to ask her. Firstly starting with how she, in the first place, came across this… being. But he knew all his answers could wait as he stroked his hand down her matted hair and asked softly, "Water?" His younger sister nodded. He took the jug that contains ginger ale for soothing the stomach, cranberry for driving out the awful taste and gatorade for rehydration and poured a full cup for his sister. She drained it fast and he filled it again. And again. And again. Until she needed it no more. He laid down while his sister went to bathe and change. When she came out, she nestled against his chest and fell asleep. Stephen looked down at his sister sleeping against his chest and stroked her hair. He could only hope that the general gleamed some information on what was hunting his sister. When it is found, he would kill that thing slowly and painfully for bringing such pain and fear to his family. Stephen wondered how his father had not seemed to bother about his sister's condition. He wished his mother was still alive, to help them and calm them when in need. At the sheer thought about his mother, Stephen buried his face in his hands and cried.