#really happy with how the burnt clasp symbols turned out

[suaimhneas-gairid]

Vax'ildan 🗡️🗡️🗡️

[quarantineddreamer]

@zutaraweek 2020 Day 4: Celestial

While I am here reblogging all the amazing content I’m seeing for Day 4 I wanted to repost an old one-shot of mine which contains plenty of Celestial imagery. It made my heart happy just to write it and I hope it makes yours happy to read it! 

Also posted on my AO3

Rating: G

Title: Of Lanterns and Turtle Ducks

Summary: Zuko is preparing to propose to Katara in the garden his mom cared for so lovingly, and where he and Katara first kissed 4 years ago... 

He carefully cupped his hand close to the waxed paper of the final lantern and released a small, gentle flame into its center. He stared at it a moment longer, feeling its soft warmth on his cheeks as he brought it closer for inspection. He shut his eyes and everything was orange and red. He began a silent prayer to the spirits, and in particular, to the soul he hoped still visited the pond he had staged so carefully on this night, the anniversary of the first night. A small smile tugged at his lips. I think you’d really, really like her Mom. I hope you’re here tonight..I think you are. He could feel her now, as he often did in this spot, an aura that wrapped itself around him like a blanket, whispering comfort, security, encouragement, love.

He opened his eyes and it was as though he were looking at the stars themselves. The lanterns danced in lazy circles as the light breeze propelled them across the still surface of the water. Their reflections rippled and sparkled. Fire and water united performed this most beautiful scene.

“Wow it looks amazing!” the voice of a friend called, and he turned to see two grinning faces peering out from behind a nearby tree. Suki and Sokka -their expressions made him blush.

“It really does!” another said in his ear, and Zuko jumped, very nearly tumbling into the pond as Aang landed quietly beside him with a whoosh, Toph climbing down from the monk’s shoulders, cackling at his response to her whisper.

The Avatar reached up to the taller man and slapped a hearty hand onto his back. “She’s going to love it!”

Zuko smiled at this, but didn’t reply, his stomach had begun to do flips again. “I hope so,” he mumbled. He looked again at his work. An hour or so of subtle firebending to illuminate the pond, the lotuses plucked and lining the small dock formed a pathway leading to the galaxy, and of course, the longest part had been carefully leading the turtle ducks to a temporary shelter for the night -filled with little treats and soft surfaces to snuggle in.

The group had all drawn towards him to stand beside him by the water. They created a small circle around him and their excitement was like static in the air. They all stared expectantly, even Toph’s sightless eyes landing on him.

“I wasn’t feeling so nervous until you all showed up,” Zuko said gruffly.

“Psh well you should be nervous, you’re going to have Sokka for a brother.��� Toph elbowed him playfully.

“If she says yes…” Zuko corrected.

Sokka and Suki rolled their eyes in unison, a habit they had developed over the years. The former wrapped his arm around his wife. “She’s going to say yes. It’s a long time coming.”

Zuko supposed it was… Just two years before they had all been celebrating on a frigid night in the South Pole the union of the Kyoshi warrior and the young Water Tribe leader. He remembered how happy Katara had looked then, so giddy at the sight of her brother, all grown up, and twirling his bride about on the dance floor -stealing kisses.

Two years before that… four years to the day, was the night Zuko had nearly died, the night Katara had saved him.

Azula had been carried away to a secure location at Zuko’s command. He had struggled to rise, trying to find strength to command the Fire Nation soldiers that had come forward following his sister’s defeat, but Katara would have none of it. “Can you please sit still?! For spirits’ sake you just took a bolt of lightning to the chest.” He lay back down when he saw that she was close to tears again.

After she gave him as much healing as she could, and he swore, repeatedly that he really was alright to move, he went about his new duties, organizing troops, setting precedent, establishing himself as their new Fire Lord. Katara sent a message to the rest of their group via hawk, and they received word back within a few hours that Ozai was defeated and in custody, everyone was okay, they had won.

When that message had been received he and Katara had been standing in the palace. They looked at each other, almost in disbelief, and laughed, tension floating away in deep, hysterical chuckles. When that had passed, she had thrown her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder. He had winced at the pain of her impact on his wound, but hadn’t made a sound, only encircled her in his arms and squeezed, breathed in the scent of her hair -a bit burnt from its near misses with blue fire.

When they separated, he had wordlessly led her away from everyone, through the maze of hallways that were such a part of his childhood, to the one place he knew they would not be bothered. His mother’s garden had looked neglected compared to how it was now, but still pretty, and quiet, peaceful . The sun was nearly rising, the night having flown from them in all the activity of post-war - post-war, could it be true? they both thought.

The sky was a pale blue, the faint light of dawn beginning to grace its depths, and he walked her to the shores of the pond (absent of turtle ducks in that moment) and together they sat, exhausted, and dipped bare feet in the cool liquid. She had her arms out behind her and was looking at the sky, shaking her head as though to ensure she wasn’t dreaming it all, and he thought how absolutely beautiful she was, how brave, how kind…

“Katara…” he reached for her hand and she turned her eyes upon him. Those eyes… And then, more unbelievable to him than the war finally ending, she had leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his, placed a gentle hand across his scar, and curled strong fingers in his hair.

“Zukooooo,” Aang laughed, snapping him back to the present with a wave of his hand across the Fire Lord’s eyes. “You there, buddy?”

Zuko cleared his throat, “Uh, yes, yes, hello, Zuko, here!” His cheeks turned a magnificent scarlet shade, visible even in the dim light.

They all took turns giving him a hug. “She’ll be here soon,” Sokka said, and gave his friend a knowing smile. “Don’t forget to breathe!” And with that they all departed.

Zuko was more concerned his heart would forget to beat, such was the eraticism of its rhythm. He paced the dock. Soon, Suki would be approaching Katara (who was probably in her study finishing up important diplomat work) and coming up with an excuse to guide her to the garden.

He looked out again upon the floating lanterns, then up at the moon and the true stars above him, studying them and their steadfastness for strength. A hand landed like a bird upon his shoulder, tugging him around.

“Zuko?” she asked in wonderment. Those eyes, those sapphire orbs... they could melt greater than any firebender he had ever met.

He took her hand and had her stand beside him, then took her other hand, and… Struggled to speak, a lump lodged in his throat.

The questioning on her face was replaced with affection for his awkwardness. She squeezed his palms gently, supportively, then looked out at his work. “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, “what fire and water can do together…”

Shadows played on her face, she glowed a soft amber. Zuko felt a small tug at the bottom of his robes, and glanced down to see a stray turtle duck’s little eyes upon him. How did it?... he wondered, but saw that with it was its mother, and the mother…Was he crazy? Had the oil he used on the lanterns gone to his head? The mother duck seemed to bow its head, encouraging, a signal. Truly I am oxygen deprived...Breathe, breathe...

Katara was studying him now, unaware of the discrete audience behind him, but she was patient, knowing that Zuko would speak when he was ready, savoring the joy building in her chest as she began to suspect what this was all for.

Words were not yet ready to befriend him again. Instead he took one hand away from her own, and reached into his pocket feeling the cool touch of stone at his fingertips, the lick of the silk he had carefully selected.

Slowly he knelt, bowing his head, drawing a final breath, before looking back to her. “Katara, four years ago, the world changed... but I never would’ve known peace without you. You are a current that guides me. You remind me every day of the good that exists, of its power, and of its endurance. You gave me a second chance even when I wasn’t sure I deserved one…and you helped me heal wounds in myself I wasn’t sure I could even face. You have made me a better person, the person I was fighting to find again for most my life -the one I always wanted to be.”

"Zuko…” she laughed softly, but waited for him to continue. Her eyes glimmered with tears and lantern light, but there was a smile on her lips.

“Katara, I promise that every day I’m going to continue to prove to you that I can be worthy of the life you gave me. I will support you in your ambitions to rebuild a better world and assist in every way I can. I will comfort you no matter what may come our way. I will stand beside you, Katara,” his voice broke, but he kept going, almost there…  “Katara, I love you, now and always. Will you, uh… Will you marry me?” He held out a shaky hand. Balanced along his fingers was a silvery stone carved with a combined symbol of the sun and moon, clasped carefully to a line of inky silk. And despite Sokka’s advice, he was certain that he was holding his breath, his heart galloping in his chest.

She grabbed the necklace from him and dropped to her knees beside him, placing her elbows on his shoulders and her hands on both his flushed cheeks. “Yes, Fire Lord Zuko,” she laughed. “I will marry you. Of course, I will!”

His nerves evaporated and a smile, so big it hurt his cheeks, flashed onto his face. He kissed her deeply at first, drinking her in, then repeatedly, until she scrunched her nose and began to giggle at his teasing.

“YAY!” came a hoot from up on the roof. Katara and Zuko followed the sound to see the short figure of Aang standing atop the palace, arms triumphantly stretched to the night sky.

The couple laughed as one by one the sheepish faces of their friends appeared. Suki and Sokka both shrugged, and Toph clapped, none-too-guilty at being caught spying. One by one Aang bent them down from their hiding place. They all raced to Zuko and Katara, talking over each other in their “Congratulations” and “Finally!”s.

When finally a lapse in the chatter had come, Sokka frowned. “Wait...Did you say yes?” he asked his sister, pointing an accusing finger at her neck, which still had their mother’s jewelry upon it.

Katara gave the blue carving a fond squeeze one last time, then slowly unknotted it and moved it to her right wrist, her brother assisting her in securing it firmly in its new spot. Then she handed the bethorthal piece back to Zuko and turned her back to him, pulling her hair over her shoulder as she did so, leaving her neck exposed. He gave the exposed skin a small kiss before reaching round to tie the new pendant to her. When he was finished, she turned and gave him a goofy grin and another cheerful kiss. They parted, but he refused to let her stray too far, holding her back against him, arms draped over her shoulders, as she swayed happily and started talking wedding plans with their friends.

Eventually, even the exhilaration of the engagement was not enough to keep the gang awake. They all began to drift off to their beds. Katara and Zuko trailed behind everyone else, Zuko holding her hand and allowing his arm to stretch as he slowed to take one last look at the garden. The lanterns were still a tapestry of light against the black of the pond, a mirror to another world. Thank you, he thought quietly to the presence that he felt always guiding him whenever he stood in that magical place, and then together he and his bride-to-be, bumping playfully against each other, laughter echoing in the quiet of late-night, made their way to their bed.

The little turtle duck waddled back to the sanctuary the Fire Lord had built for them, and the mother… Emitting a faint blue light she shifted into the elegant form of a woman dressed in magnificent robes, gazing fondly at the retreating figures of her son and his love, before fading away, following the path the lanterns made to the spirit world...

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Trust pt5

Warnings: Strong language, Moblord styling warlords.

Masterlist

—

Chapter 5

“No not at all I completely understand. Thank you for your time.” His phone had not stopped. It was either the vultures from the media, some of the companies connected to him or direct calls from the other factions wanting something. His head swam with explanations, confirmations and renegotiation meetings. This was a show of professionalism. He was not proud of his little display in the meeting with the others but he was composed now. At least he had been right up until that last call. “God Dammit!” He ripped the line free of the wall and tossed the entire contraption clear across the floor of his office. The plastic shattered and splintered as it came in contact with the polished wood flooring. Why was this happening? Since when did he have to bargain in his own territory? Why?

“My-my, there’s a sight you don’t see every day.” Mitsuhide appeared like an apparition in the room. He hadn’t heard him arrive or even seen him venture in. “Were you planning on conducting semaphore when the next person tried to contact you or were, we going to try Morse code?”

“You seem to be taking delight in this.” Nobunaga growled. He felt it as his voice rumbled in his throat. That familiar paranoia he had from a child. The one that had him keenly aware of the knives posed at his back waiting for the curtain to fall on his Caesar.

“Is that what it looks like?” Mitsuhide collected the broken phone from the floor and placed it back on the desk. It was a tangled mess and he couldn’t quite shift the idea that it was strangely symbolic of the man who had thrown it.

“Why are you here?” The intimidating look was firmly locked in place and he could already feel his patience lacking.

“They are worried.” Mitsuhide sat down in the chair opposite as if he had been invited. “That was quite the show after all.”

“It is all in hand.” Nobunaga schooled his face so it was as blank as possible. Oh, dear my old friend. Try as you might you simply cannot kill the emotion in your eyes. That is a trick very few have mastered.

“Come now you might be able to sell that kind of BS to someone like Hideyoshi but it isn’t going to wash with me.” Mitsuhide calmly brushed aside Nobu’s attempt to blindside him. He had no idea really the extent to what was going on in the guys head but he was damned if he was going to just sit back and wait for the tinder to catch light. He had had his fingers burnt once by this man as he blindly followed. Now, he was determined to do something a bit more proactive. “What do you need?”

“Information. Shingen is painfully slow when it comes to gathering anything I can use and then the parts I am given are dead ends.” Nobunaga waved his hand at the pile of papers on the desk and overflowing bin on the floor.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” Mitsuhide’s body language was unreadable but his voice held the question like a viper poised to strike if need be.

“You were busy playing house.” Nobunaga tossed out his jibe caring little for its implied malice.

“Is that the only reason? This isn’t like you. What happened to the man who had all bases covered and everything tied up in a pretty bow?” Mitsuhide pushed.

“It’s difficult to cover bases when you don’t even know what you are supposed to be protecting against.” Nobunaga complained crumpling up yet another piece of paper and tossing it like a sportsman in the general direction of the rest, giving little care as to if it hit the mark or not.

“I’ll see what I can find out.” Mitsuhide stood up and adjusted his jacket so it was closed, hiding the holster on his side. This was far from a comfortable confrontation but at least he had a slightly better idea of what he was dealing with. Arrogance and ego any one of them is enough to bring down someone. But anger? Now that just makes you sloppy. “I’ll send up a replacement phone while I’m at it.”

Nobunaga watched as Mitsuhide left the room. That breezy attitude and relaxed composure irritated him. He pulled out his mobile and hammered out a text. “The Birdcage eight sharp, don’t keep me waiting this time.”

---

“Morning [Name]” The cheerful voice of one of the girls from the secretarial pool called out as [Name] stepped foot off the elevator.

“Grace? Morning.” [Name] smiled and gave a little wave back as the other woman came closer. Grace was the poster child for whatever average was. It was something that had struck [Name] since they first met and it was in no way meant as a slight on the woman. In fact, it was her averageness that was the source of some envious thoughts when [Name] was cursing her life on the run. How nice it would be to just be so blendable, that you could fit in no matter where you were and not stand out? What’s that old saying? You always want what you don’t have?

There was something enjoyable about lacklustre methodical daily grind after everything that had happened. The time off had been a somewhat forced experience when the office manager found out about the church thing. 

Apparently, it had made it to the local news despite the police attempting to shut it down before it went that far. They insisted she take time off, claiming she might be suffering from some sort of delayed stress and trauma. Mitsuhide had been the one to encourage her to agree with it. It was going to take time for the dust to settle and apparently things weren’t as resolved as they seemed. 

He needed time to make things secure for her and she had been a little worried he might attempt to send her to her father. He knew the connection. At least he knew the fact that she was connected to the other family and her father was involved but he didn’t seem to want to dig for further detail and the matter was dropped. It seemed that despite their efforts to improve communication there were still problems with how much they could share with each other.

“Hey, didn’t you just move in with your boyfriend? You don’t get to look like that so soon.” Her friend extended her hand and prodded the small creases that had formed on her forehead.

It always felt a little strange to her that she was able to have this kind of friendship even if it was only a work thing. She had spent most of her life distancing herself from others in case she had to leave in a hurry and too many connections made that kind of thing messy. But Grace had been different. They started at the company around the same time. Both new to the area and she was at least grateful that Grace seemed like the kind of person who was happy to just keep to themselves. They never pushed for more information than was given but they were always willing to just hang you and drink if you needed company.  

During the whole funeral thing with Mitsuhide, Grace had proved to be an honest to good friend and pestered [Name] enough to keep her going. Bringing in packed meals, making tea and coffee. It didn’t seem like much but in the closed-off isolation [Name] had felt as she locked herself away from the rest of the world during grieving it had been a source of warmth, she was thankful for. Part of her always felt a little guilty that even now outside of work there was nothing more to their friendship than spoken greetings on the street.

“Sorry guess I’m just tired.” [Name] recoiled a little and gave a chagrined smile.

“No rubbing it in my lonely single gal face either!” The girl huffed putting her hands on her hips and backed up her show of offence with a rather unconvincing angry look.

“Ha-ha, I wasn’t!” [Name] chuckled. She had missed this. Simple interactions, conversations with no real substance. Just friendly banter.

“Yeah well, I’ll let you buy me lunch to apologise.”

“Oh, you will, will you?” [Name] smiled knowing this was probably the start of a long lunch that probably involved a drink of some sort.

“Yep cos I’m all kinds of generous like that. Well, I better get back to the fourth floor. Heaven forbid someone has to make their own coffee.” Clasping a hand on [Name]’s shoulder her friend gave a wink before stepping past and getting on the elevator.

[Name] took her seat behind her desk the grey felt-covered walls of her cubicle blocking out the rest of the office. So, this is what normal feels like huh? The phone rang as soon as the time on the wall shifted to office hours. Switchboards were lighting up, trading had started.

“Hello thank you for your call to us today my name is [Name] how may I help you?”

---

The heavy curtain was pulled aside allowing access to the main door. The silence from the entranceway became engulfed by the melodious sounds of the in-house live band as they played soft jazz music that was the usual ambient tone when performers were not on stage.

He hated the fact he was once more summoned although this time he at least had a mind as to what it was about. His eyes moved from each low-lit table and partly hidden seat as he walked towards the reserved section. Traders and dealers mixed with clientele from all walks of life. Shingen smiled to himself. No matter the day and age it’s those that trade in information that survive. The larger booths were positioned close enough to the stage you were not easily overheard by eavesdroppers. At least this time I get a better view. So many beauties here tonight, what a pity this is work.

Shingen slid into the seating, the padded leather moulded around him making the booth feel even more intimate. There was still five minutes before their agreed upon time and he took the opportunity to grab a waitress and place a drinks order. His plunged his hand into the lining of his jacket and retrieved a folded set of papers. The fruits of his labours as he looked into the affairs of the offending competition. Returning a few minutes later she placed a shot glass and tall slender bottle dusted with a light frost to it on the table.

“Dry Martini”

The waitress turned with an affirmable smile and gave a slight bow to Nobu before returning to the bar to fetch his order.

“Well hello to you too.” Shingen welcomed the other man as he poured his own drink. His hand melted the chilled coated on the bottle and the black spirit swirled in the shot glass like an inky pool before he tossed it back in one straight shot down his gullet. “It wouldn’t hurt you to be nicer to the staff.”

“I’m not here to socialise.” Nobunaga popped the buttons on his jacket the hilt of his flashy piece of weaponry glinting in the candlelight before taking a seat. “What did you find?”

“Straight down to business then.” Shingen sighed and downed another shot, the astringent sweet liquid coating his mouth before he handed over the papers. “Here. From what I can tell Esshu is now being run as a form of conglomerate venture.”

“Conglomerate?” Nobunaga quirked a brow glancing at Shingen before reading the documents.

“You said you were hitting a wall trying to find the new head? Well, this is probably why. The board of directors appear to be the ones calling the shots for the business now.” Shingen calmly outlined the highlights of his findings as he continued to drink.

“So, they are all collaborating in order to prevent the business from folding? That’s not something I wanted to hear.” Nobunaga nodded as he read. Even in the subdued lighting, it was easy to see the agitation in the man. The same displace of unrest in the man that had been present at the meeting in HQ was still there days later.

“Well, we can’t all get things nicely tied up in a neat little package. You asked for information I found it.” Shingen’s snarky reply didn’t so much add fuel to the fire but it did give him some pleasure. Seeing the usually composed devil give a show of uninhibited raw emotion was gratifying. “So, what now?”

“I need to think. I now have multiple targets at the same source but something is bugging me with it all.” Nobu folded up the papers and placed them inside his own jacket before picking up his martini and draining it in one go. Making a mental note to gain a second opinion in order to gain a little peace of mind.

“Oh?” Shingen raised his brow at the reaction he hadn’t exactly been expecting. Then again if the man before him was more predictable perhaps their previous game might have ended differently.

“Why go to such lengths for a dead in the water company?” Nobu was referring to the other pages in the report. The ones that showed the financial records. Something about them looked familiar and flashed like a warning signal to him.

“People do a lot to keep their own jobs and livelihoods.” Shingen shrugged wondering what the devil had seen that he hadn’t.

It was true. People had the uncanny ability to do things in order to protect what they had. Some were smart, a lot were reckless, and then there were the moves that shouldn’t have been possibly and yet by some miracle succeeded. The question here was which one was it? The company was floundering just as he thought it should be. It was weakened just as he expected it to be. The Beast had lost its head and it was dying. So why keep going? To what purpose was the drum still pounding out its beat in the darkness?

“Maybe.”

---

– Buzz, Buzz –

A quiet room devoid of light became a little livelier as a call to a mobile rang out. The vibrations rattled it against the hard surface of the desk and the screen displayed the incoming call. The device fell silent as it remained unanswered. A few seconds later a different notification came to the phone. A simple text…

“The first move is in play”

---

[misterewrites]

Marco Ubaldo Van Diaz (Monster Hunter AU/starcoween) part 1

Hey everyone, Mr.E here and I finally did it! I finally made my own writing blog  on tumblr! woo *throws confetti* I finally decided to just put my stories in one place so it’s easier for people to read. I felt weird about the idea to be honest but i decided it was for the best.

Story prompt of the day: Marco Diaz is a fledgling monster hunter. While on his latest contract, he stumbles into trouble and needs help to fend off another monster. However, is he willing to accept it from what lurks deep in the woods?

I love me my gothic horror. I love me my Castlevania, the witcher and van helsing, Dracula, old movie monsters and of course the curse of strahd dnd campaign  I’m doing. So what better for starcoween, my totally made up holiday i missed anyway? write my own version.  This is based on a few things. Dnd, van helsing, castlevania etc etc (the big bad is actually a reference to the curse of strahd) so there’s not really one source in here. Also it is darker than my usual stuff but i did still add comedic because that’s what I like.

So that’s it for me. I hope you all enjoy. I plan to get my stories on this blog asap  so they’re easy to find if you ever want to reread them. Also this second part will be a little late because I have birthday gifts to give out. So the next story I’ll do is spatz pirates au part 3. Also, let me know whatcha think of a certain character I have written for for the first time. have a great week! 

“I am here to witness your passing” the young man said, kneeing before the loose circle of candles that flickered back and forth with a hypnotic sway.

He was strangely dressed for these neck of the woods: A elegant black coat with a well kept red vest and white collared shirt. A black ascot tie wrapped snugly around his neck and a simple brown riding cloak draped over his shoulders. His boots were caked with mud from his travels though he carried a strange assortment of baggage: Two sheathed blades hung on his back, a bag slung around his shoulder with random pouches sewed onto his belt.  

“I beseech you: Move on from this world and lay your grudges to rest”

The crackling of the flames were the only response he received.

“Your spirit is weary, your anger is great.” Marco murmured gently under his breath, clutching the small doll in his hands carefully “I will put you to rest.”

He stood to full height, the icy breeze playfully tugging at his ponytail as he held his lantern close. With one swift movement, the doll caught ablaze and was flung directly into circle.

Marco’s face remained stony and indifferent as an inhuman shriek broke the quiet of the night. A blackish, oily smoke rose from the burning toy yet instead of rising to the sky, it remained, growing in size while humanoid shapes formed within. Hands clasping at empty air, long dark hair billowing through the haze, faces shifting between unparalleled joy and furious anger.

“Do not resist” Marco calmly spoke to the entity “I know it’s scary but you must let go or you will harm many.”

The shriek grew and grew, echoing through the darkened forest. The smoke began to form into a ghostly shade: a young woman with dark hair and tatter clothing. Her eyes gleamed with an ailing yellow glow, her skin was cracked and sickly, her teeth were sharp and curved like fangs. Her fingers shifted between human and beastly talons.

She focused on the lone man, hissing angrily under her breath but Marco remained unmoved by her threat. He patiently kept his gaze, refusing to break contact with the specter.

Without warning, she lashed out. Raising her arms, she lunged forward, hands tensed to wrap themselves against an unsuspecting throat.

The flames from the candles burned orange for a moment before blazing a righteous blue and as the ghostly shade approached Marco, a fiery torrent rose. Her hands scraped at the fire but it stung far worse than any flame she had ever known in life. White smoke curled off her body as the flames shrank but still glowed a pale blue.

“Sorry” Marco gave an unapologetic shrug “Holy candles and a magic circle tends to do that. Because you’re corrupted and all.”

The shade glanced downwards realizing she had been tricked. Beneath the burning doll was a circular chalk outline of complex runes and symbols that glimmered with the faint trace of magic now that they held a wayward spirit.

The ghostly woman thrashed but each time she drew closer to the candles, the fires rose, towering above her in warning. She tried smothering the flames that burnt her childhood treasure but nothing could halt the fire as it consumed the toy slowly.

Marco remained still until the doll was burnt to ash and a gentle wind scattered the remains.

The ghost began to gleam with a pure white light. Her skin cleared, her eyes now a pleasant green, fangs retracted until they became human once more. The clothing mended itself until it was pristine and elegant.

A woman no older than Marco replaced the vicious shade and looked gratefully upon him. He gave a polite, understanding nod as the woman vanished into dozens of tiny lights that quickly ascend into the night sky. The flames went out at once, the candles now waxy puddles as the magic circle’s glow faded.

Marco fished out a scroll from one of the pouches. What once contained unreadable magical runes he could never hope to decipher or read was now blank, its surface empty and bare.

“Another successful contract” Marco sighed appreciatively.

Marco had been training to be a hunter all his life and while his natural talent had gotten him far, he still was new to this line of work. Up to now, all he had really done was help rest some wayward spirits and stopped the occasional zombie horde. The wraith was the first real threat the Guild entrusted to him and while he was happy another soul was now at peace, he did not feel accomplished at his task.

“Hunters do not seek fame and glory” Marco recited the Guild’s manta “but it really does help getting jobs.”

Marco sighed while he began cleaning up the site, brushing the chalk away with his gloved hands and covering the dried wax with dirt when a scream rang out from the darkness. Not a ghastly haunted one but a very real, very helpless living cry for help.

Marco raced through the thickets and foliage of the forest, adrenaline surging into his tired body.

He broke through the bushes and nearly fell off a previously unseen hill in his haste. He flailed wildly, shifting his weight back and forth while trying to regain his balance.

“Okay!” Marco scolded himself “Don’t go running blindly through the forest, it might be a bad idea….”

His voice trailed off when he finally noticed the burning village below, battle cries, crackling flames and terrified screams filled the night in a macabre symphony.

“well shit that’s not good!” Marco cried as he raced forward, one hand reaching for his blade, the other grasping the air in an attempt to steady his footing making his way down to the hill.

He was roughly halfway through his heroic charge when his foot caught a grass clump and took a less than refined spill downhill. He tumbled for a moment or two before being flung through the air straight into a thick fuzzy body and knocking them both onto the scratchy dirt floor.

Marco groaned unhappily, covering his mouth as his stomach churned nauseously.

“Ugh, I hate motion sickness.” Marco gave an ungentlemanly burp before turning to the poor soul he crashed into “You okay?”

A chill ran down his spine as a deep, hungry growl responded to his question. What he mistook for hay was actually dark bluish gray fur that smelt of blood. He gulped nervously as the figure dug their sharp nails into effortlessly the earth. The face was not one of a friend or even human but a wolf’s with murder singing in its red eyes.

“Werewolf” Marco said matter of fact before snapping into action. With one fluent motion, he unsheathed his blade and swung for the beast’s neck.

Marco flinched as the blade bounced harmlessly off the creature. He glanced at his weapon and let out a frustrated moan upon realizing his mistake

“I grabbed the wrong one!” He scolded himself but there was no time to smack himself. The werewolf took advantage of the novice mistake and swiped angrily at the hunter. Marco caught the attack with the flat of his blade but the beast’s strength knocked him back onto the balls of his feet. The creature’s eyes narrowed in excitement as it prepared for one final lunge.

That was its mistake. Marco reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his hand crossbow  and sent its payload into the charging werewolf. It howled in pain, the slivered arrow head piercing its thick hide and burying itself deep into its body. It feebly tried to pull the bolt free but the sliver burned, intensifying the pain that coursed through its body.

Marco sheathed the steel blade he accidentally pulled and drew out the sliver one he meant to. The werewolf’s gaze fell upon the weapon, its polished blade gleaming in the moonlight.

For a moment, the world ceased to exist as the two combatants stared the other down, waiting for the moment to strike.

The werewolf broke the stalemate, dropping onto all fours and attempting to blindside Marco with its speed.

Marco scoffed as he brought down his sword into the creature, whispering a prayer as it fell dead at his feet.

Marco wiped the sweat off his brow when the world came crashing back in. What he thought was the werewolf’s primal animistic snarls thundering in his ears were actually echoing all around him.

“It’s a pack” Marco realized “A pack of werewolves.”

Marco pulled the bolt from the dead werewolf and broke into a run, a fearful thought nestling into his mind. He had never fight a werewolf before and this village was at the mercy of a bloodthirsty pack of them. He hadn’t the slightest idea how many were running around or if the town’s guard were ready to deal with such a threat.

Marco felt his desperation rising as he ran through city streets blindly. Fallen bodies, buildings ransacked or destroyed, the living scattered while the hungry howls of wolves came from all directions.

“A hunter out in public? Strange to see one not lurking in the shadows. Perhaps you’ve all grown a backbone.”

Marco skidded to a stop. His skin crawled as a thick, seductive magic blanketed the icy night and weighed heavily on his body.

The young hunter gripped his sliver blade tightly, searching for the owner of the voice but none could be found.

“Here hunter. Above your squishy mortal coil.”

Marco’s eyes hardened at the sight of the man perched lazily on a nearby rooftop: He was hardly much older than Marco with a handsomeness that was too perfect to be human. His raven hair short yet well kept. His pale red eyes glimmered with a dangerous charisma. He wore fine clothing, the kind Marco had only seen nobles or kings flaunt carelessly. His lean frame was draped in black cape with blood red lining that looked like it was dripping free of the fabric.

“Tell me hunter.” the man said with a conversational tone as he slid across the roof tiling “Are you a brave man? Or simply foolish?”

Marco resisted the urge to take a step back: whatever this man was, he was a threat and one that could not be taken lightly.

“Based on your reaction to my presence” The man sneered playfully “You were not sent to hunt me, were you?”

Marco remained silent.

“Hmm” The man stroked his chin thoughtfully “Interesting. I am Count Rictavio von Zarovich, local lord of the area. You can see my castle in the distance.”

Marco glanced where the man gestured and sure enough he could see a small piece of a tower peeking above the treeline.

“I was under the impression the castle had long since been abandoned” Marco replied. He thought frantically of ways to shift the situation in his favor but if he was facing what he thought he was facing, he would be lucky to escape unharmed.

“Ah mortals” Rictavio’s voice took on a longing tone “Your memory is so small.”  

“Well” Marco shrugged, eyes locked with von Zarovich “We all can’t be vampires, can we?”

“No” the Count smirked as two long pointed fangs slid down “We can’t.”

Marco’s body tensed as he tried urgently to recall all he could remember about the vampiric undead but before he could gather his thoughts, a howl scattered his thoughts.

He reached madly dove into his pouches, his hands agitated in a mad search for the one item that could protect him.

Another howl screeched even closer than before and out of the corner of his eye, Marco could see large shadows quickly darting out of the forest menacingly.

“Come on” Marco muttered to himself “Come on!”

Rictavio smiled joyfully which Marco wasn’t sure was a good or bad thing.

Marco didn’t stop even as impossibly large black wolves slowly drew closer, their red eyes alive with an unceasing hunger towards the hunter.

Marco nearly sobbed with relief as he pulled free the old, nearly destroyed scroll. He held it triumphantly and with a calm voice, Marco spoke the ancient language written on the paper. it crumbled in his hands while the magic it held took effect.

A shining translucent bubble formed all around him at once, shielding him from the pack and their vampire lord.

One wolf tried biting at the encased hunter but pulled away as a holy energy burnt at its jaw. The other wolves snarled and began circling him once more.

Rictavio looked amused “I have never seen such a shoddy protection spell before. You hunters are so uneducated.”

Marco twitched anxiously. Rictavio was spouting out knowledge about hunters like it was the weather. Most hunters didn’t have a drop of magic in them and magical scrolls and items tended to be rare personal possessions.

What made Marco nervous, however, was how the vampire knew how helpless he truly was: Head to head fights were often ill advised. Monsters and creatures were physically superior to even the fittest hunter. That’s why most usually study their prey, setting up ambushes and waiting for when the situation favored them. Even a hunter’s toolkit was prepared for battling a specific creature which is how Rictavio knew Marco was no threat to him. He was here for a wraith, not a vampire and his pet werewolves.

“The night is young” The Count spoke with an air of confidence “and that spell won’t last forever. This, my dear hunter, is where you die.”

“Well” Marco tried to muster a tone of assurance “You should probably keep count of how many wolves I’m going to kill. I got one earlier so the current count is one. Obviously”

“Humor is all your have now.”

“No” Marco disagreed “I got denial too. Really helps keep the edge off.”

“Your jokes are as terrible as your hunting.”

“Why don’t you come closer and find out?”

Rictavio made a motion to sneer again when, without warning, a warm gentle light basked the area in its illumination.

Marco was fine aside from his eyes readjusting for a moment from the sudden shift in lighting.

His foes were not so lucky.

Steam rolled off the wolves as they writhed in pain, their forms switching between their four legged and their heinous werebeast shapes. Whatever what was going was not what they signed up for and in droves they bolted and escaped into the darkness of the forest.

Rictavio lasted a few moments longer: His skin bruised and flaked under what felt like sunlight but he seemed unconcerned by the new development.

“Run hunter” he mocked with a toothy grin “and let’s see what remains when you return.”

And flourish of his cape, the vampire had vanished and in his place was a gigantic, monstrous bat escaping into the night.

The sphere of protection cracked and broke a few seconds later. The crackling of flames, sobs of sorrow and shouts for help were all that remained of the monsters.

Marco glanced where the strange light came from and found a cloaked figure standing near some trees, her hand outstretched still.

“Who are you?” Marco called, turning to face his savior.

The figure straightened up at once, her hand slipping under her riding cloak as she looked around.

“Who, me?” the figure gestured to herself.

“Umm…yeah” Marco nodded in confirmation “you’re the only one there. Who else would I be talking to?”

“That’s not true” the figure countered childishly “This tree is here. You should really apologize to mister tree.”

“I’m sorry mister tree.”

“Thank you!”

“Now, how did you do that?”

“Oh, you hear that?” the figure nudged the fallen corpse that lay near her feet “He’s talking to you. You should answer. Welp, it looks like you’re having a rather serious conversation so I’ll just get going. Okaythanksbye!”

and just like that, the figure ran, swallowed whole by the looming forest.

Marco frowned: part of him wanted to chase after her not only to properly thank her but also perhaps work out a deal about creating a new protection scroll. She was clearly a powerful spellcaster and her timing was perfect.

But he couldn’t just leave yet, not with the village so devastated. He needed to help the best he could and in any way possible. Guilt bit at him as his failure to repel the attack weighed heavily on his mind.  

The damage wasn’t as bad as he initially feared but that didn’t lessen the horrors remained. 12 villagers had died during the attack, a few were bitten but it was unclear if the lycanthropy curse had been passed on to them and some were missing, currently thought to have been carried off by the pack. Many buildings were severely damaged to the point of near collapse and those that weren’t still needed desperate repairs.

“Things look grim” the captain bluntly told Marco “the guard consists of twenty people and we can’t be everywhere at once. We don’t even have enough slivered weapons to properly fight off the pack and we still have the vamprye to content with.”

Marco scratched his chin thoughtfully “It is rather strange a vampire would be able to gain the loyalty of a pack of werewolves.”

“Is it? Such an alliance would be beneficial to both parties” The captain replied “The vamprye gets blood and the wolves meat…..”

“How long ago did he appear? Current rumors stated the castle was abandoned centuries ago.”

“About a month now.” the captain rubbed his eyes tiredly “He appeared without warning but at first it was simply that undead fiend. In his weakened state, he was far easier to fend off. But the next week he came with the wolves. It was a smaller pack then but we were unprepared. Since then, he has come once every week, terrorizing our simple village though I suspect he will return sooner than later.”

“My guild is three days away” Marco said thoughtfully “even if I leave now, I would still have to convince them to pool the resources together to fight this threat and travel back. At a very minimum I return in a week but why do you believe he will attack soon?”

“You, my dear hunter, are a toy to him” The captain spoke simply “He is a cruel and manipulative creature. He would slaughter us to draw you to his castle and quicken your return.”

“I should’ve never came” Marco murmured guiltily

The captain placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder “You did not know. You cannot fault yourself for such a thing. We can only do what we must.”

“Is there anyone who can assist me? I wasn’t exactly prepared to fight a vampire lord.”

“My guard are strong, brave warriors but we cannot leave the town undefended and I doubt the villagers would be so eager to wield weapons against the dead.”

The silence was thick, thoughts swirled in Marco’s head. A vampire count would be an undertaking of its own but a pack of werewolves…..

“Are you prepared to sell your soul hunter?”

Marco stared quizzically at the captain

The captain shifted uneasily “…There are two….women…in the forest that may be able to assist you…for a price.”

Marco caught the subtle contempt laced in the man’s voice “Not a fan I take it?”

“Witches” the captain said straight to the point “They live deep in the forest. Unholy beings with unnatural magic. We avoid them at all costs but if you wish to rid this place of the vampyre, they may be your only hope.”

“I’ve worked with stranger” Marco admitted “and I take it since everyone avoids these witches, everyone knows where to find them?”

The captain clenched his fist tightly.

“That is more homey than I’d expected” Marco told himself as he stood in front of the witches hut.

It was a simple hut made of wood and straw. A cozy light slipped out of the door frame as strange charms hung from the roof, swaying gently in the breeze.

As the young hunter made his way closer, the door swung open invitingly almost like it knew he was coming.

“Well…that’s not foreboding at all” Macro shook his head while he made his way inside “not in the slightest.”

“It wasn’t meant to be dearie but you’ve had a long night.” A friendly older voice called out to him.

“One you seem to be well aware of.” Marco answered as he finally entered the abode.

The interior of the hut was small but loving. A fire place in the corner, kitchen opposite side. A desk with several blank scrolls and books, strange, foreign plants and materials kept away in small drawers near a large cauldron and through the cracked door leading to another room, Marco spotted two humble beds.

The woman sat by the roaring fire place, a leather bound book sitting in her lap as she peered at Marco through her reading glasses.

She was a tiny woman, shorter than he to be sure. Her eyes were grayish purple color that gleamed kindly. Her skin was pale and her long poofy teal hair ran down her back. Two red spades graced her cheeks (witch marks Marco remembered). She wore a long purple dress with gray gloves and simple black footwear with purple socks. She looked more like someone’s mother than a powerful spell caster but Marco was not fooled.

“Take a seat.” The woman gestured to the chair across from her.

“Thank you” Marco nodded amicably as he dropped into the chair ungracefully

“Would you fancy a bit of tea? Or perhaps some coffee?”

Marco shook his head “I rather not.”

“Wary I see.”

“offended?”

The woman chuckled “not at all! It is expected when one wanders the forest. Dark, dangerous things live out here.”

“Since you know all about me, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“of course. My name is Eclipsa.” the woman revealed “I am humble witch and nothing more Mr. Diaz.”

“How long have you been watching me?” Marco asked politely.

“Since you entered the forest of course.” Eclipsa gave a friendly smile “Can’t have strange man wandering about especially a hunter. Thank for you easing Nora. She was a good woman.”

“I was doing my job. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“So your words say yet your heart speaks otherwise. Helping a village is rather sweet of you.”

“It was foolhardy” Marco replied bitterly.

“Nevertheless sweet.” Eclipsa pressed “One does not cancel the other. Actions can be a multitude of things.”

Marco glanced about the home “The villagers don’t like or trust you.”

Eclipsa gasped mockingly “I would’ve never guessed such a thing! I kid of course. I am well aware of the villagers hatred of me but I wouldn’t harm them. Not like that vampiric friend of yours.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t paid you a visit.”

“He tried.” the witch sipped her tea “But he quickly found out that was a very unwise choice. He’s avoided me since though I suspect he’s planning his revenge.”

Marco opened his mouth to continued when the door opened once again and a cheerful voice called out “Granny, I’m back!”

In walked the cloaked figure from before, a basket of colorful flowers hanging from her arm as she pulled back her hood. A long, flowing blonde braided mane tumbled free and Marco was momentarily awestruck by the young woman.

Her eyes were a sky blue with childish and rather endearing skulls as her witchmarks. She wore a black short sleeve blouse with pink trim and long flowing black skirt that stopped at her ankles. She wore practical mud covered work boots and the typical witches hat with a conical crown and wide brim. Hanging off the tip of her headgear was a home made stitched heart that gave her a rather adorable quality.

She took one step in, took notice of their guest (he knew she recognized him based on how wide her eyes had gotten) but never skipped a step as she nervously greeted Marco.

“Hello stranger I’ve never seen before!” Star gave a tense bow “W-what brings you to our humble…”

“Star” Eclipsa cut in “I know you went to the village.”

“Whaaaaaat?” the woman replied in a deadpanned, not so convincing tone “Me? The village? Nooookay I’m sorry but there was a fire. Screams! And they weren’t directed at us for once”

“Star, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know but….”

Eclipsa sighed “I know you want to go but it’s safer for you here. Now, we have a guest.”

“Right….oh. Oh!” Star pivoted on her heels and faced the hunter “May I offer you some food? Perhaps a drink?”

“No thanks” Marco softly waved his hand “Your grandmother offered me but thank you all the same.”

“You are welcome.”

“And thank you for saving my life.”

Star’s cheeks took on a pink hue as she gave a casual smirk “It was my pleasure. I mean I couldn’t just let them eat you! Well I guess I could’ve but it didn’t seem right.”

“Admittedly it wouldn’t have been a good day for me. Not fond of being a chew toy.” Marco chuckled.

Star giggled cutely “I don’t think anyone is.”

The two shared a small smile before a cough knocked them out of their stupor.

“Mr. Diaz.” Eclipsa gave a knowing grin at Marco’s reddened cheeks “I am aware why you have come and I am afraid I cannot assist you.”

Marco’s shoulders sagged in defeat “Without your help, I won’t be able to kill the vampire.”

“Perhaps but I am not a fan of needless conflict. I am just an old woman who wishes to live in peace.”

Marco sighed tiredly.

“Star, on the other hand, will be more than eager to join your quest.”

“Yeah!” Star nodded in agreement “I totally would.” She paused, finally processing what was said “Wait, I would? I mean yeah but you never…”

“I never let you go unsupervised my dear” Eclipsa explained “You are quite reckless.”

“For the last time that sprite startled me! The fire was not my fault.” Star quickly chimed in.

“Regardless how a fire did or did not spontaneously burst into existence matters not.” The older witch ignored Star’s comments “You will guide Marco and assist in his quest. You were planning on doing so anyway.”

The younger witch said nothing

“I know you dislike Rictavio far more than I but you cannot simply just attack a vampire. They are not like other creatures and to recklessly assault one will not end well. So better to send you with a trained hunter than have you unwisely sneak off on your own and get yourself killed or worse, turned.”

“Me? Killed? Turned?” Star scoffed at the idea “C'mon granny, I can handle myself.”

“Your grandmother is right.” Marco spoke up as he rose to his feet “Vampires are not to be trifled with so casually.”

“Actually she is my ninth great granddaughter” Eclipsa corrected Marco “It’s simply easier to call me Granny Eclipsa.”

Marco stared in disbelief “Just rolls off the tongue huh?”

Eclipsa let out a small laugh “You say great nine times and see how eager you are to do so again. So Mr. Hunter, I shall allow my Star to guide you. In exchange, you must ensure her safe return to me.”

“You have my promise.”

“Don’t you want to hear an or else? For dramatic effect?” Eclipsa rose an eyebrow.

“You are a powerful and educated witch. I am well aware what will happen if I do not fulfill my promise.”

Eclipsa gave a joyful smile “It is so refreshing to talk in such a straight forward manner. I do hope you survive. Such a nice lad. Well off with you two.”

Marco and Star looked at one another “What?”

Marco and Star stood outside with the same shell shock expression on their faces as the hut door closed behind them.

“So…is this what getting kicked out of a house is like?” Star joked.

“It feels familiar” Marco admitted “though most of the time I’m being tossed out a window. It’s nice to go through the door for once.”

“I don’t think that’s what windows are for….”

Marco shrugged “I would like to point out I never said I went willingly.”

“Why would you?” Star nudged him playfully “That’s way too much work.”

Marco tried to suppress a smile but it ended up spilling onto his face anyway.

“So, ready to take down a vampire?” Star asked curiously

“Not really but lead on witchy woman.”

“Okay but only because you would get so loooooost.”

Marco and Star stumbled out of the bushes. Marco wildly slashed and thrust his blade into whatever was chasing them as Star let out a frantic battle cry, flames pouring out of her palms.

The creature snarled in annoyance, taking one last swipe at the witch.

“Watch out!” Marco cried, pushing Star out of the way just in time for a large scaly  claw to narrowly miss her head.

“Back! BACK I SAY!” Star yelled, arcane energy crackling between her fingers.

The creature knew better than to pursue. It snorted before retreating into the thicket.

Marco and Star laid on the ground, her head on his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her frame.

“I told you it was a dragon.” Marco scolded gently.

“Nah” Star shook her head “its got to be a salamander. Those things get huuuuge out here.”

“It breathed fire!”

“And your point is?”

“It wasn’t on fire. Fire salamanders always set themselves on fire!”

“What? No, that’s not how they work”

“I studied them! I fought one! I know how they work.”

“Psst, clearly your books are wrong.”

“Clearly you can’t tell a salamander from a dragon!”

“Aren’t they in the same family?”

Marco opened his mouth before stopping dead in his tracks “I…don’t know actually.”

“We should find out.” Star jumped to her feet and offered a hand to Marco.

He shook his head as he gripped it tightly and allowed his partner to lift him to his feet.

“So this is the castle….” Marco whispered “Well fuck.”

The castle stood high above their heads surrounded by cliffs. While it towered in the distance when Marco first saw it, now it loomed over them, impossibly large. Time ravaged banners fluttered helplessly in the winds, the ancient stone still sturdy and well built and a lonely road spiraled around the mountain was the only visible path. Any hopes of catching the count unaware were an impossibility.

“…Looks like we’re going to have to walk up” Marco murmured to himself, still lost in his thoughts. There must’ve been a way to some how reach the castle unnoticed.

“Well duh” Star rolled her eyes “It leads to the front door! How else are we supposed to get in? A window? Psst, those are waaaay too high up.”

“I was kinda hoping to get in unseen” Marco said “I don’t like the idea of Rictavio having time to set up for us. Can’t you fly us up or something?”

“I am a witch, not a bird. Besides the spell would only last ten minutes if I use it on the both of us and there’s no way we’re going all the way up there in that time. Come on, just take the path before you. The sooner we kick this vampire’s ass, the sooner everyone is safe.”

“Star” Marco shook his head “I don’t think you’re understanding the problem here. Vampires are powerful creatures. Even magic would have a hard time piercing their unearthly nature. We can’t just walk up to him and go ‘hey we’re here to kill you! Stand still please.'”

“Sure we can” Star waved off Marco’s comment “I’ll just sunbeam him and that’ll be that.”

“We need to be more discreet” Marco argued

“We need to launch an all out attack!” Star countered

“Recklessly charging is going to get us killed!”

“Recklessly charging has always worked for me!”

“How?!”

“I’m a witch!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“You don’t make any sense!”

“Star, that literally makes no sense.”

“Well” Star turned on her heel and faced Marco directly “Make sense then!”

“Fine!” Marco shouted “Duck now!”

Star blinked in confusion “Wait, what?”

Marco dropped low to the ground, pulling Star downwards with him as a massive wolf leapt at them from the shadows, his jaw biting into thin air.

Marco drew his sliver sword but Star was faster on the uptake. She gestured to the wolf, her skulls glowing with magical energy.

The wolf struggled against some unseen force, muscles stiffening as they were frozen in place by Star’s spell.

Marco quietly stabbed the still, silent creature, holding his blade until it fell limp before him.

“Whew. Good acting Star.” Marco gave a grateful smile.

“Umm….” Star looked back and forth uneasily “yeah…was totally aware he was there.”

“Hey, you didn’t tell me you could restrain monsters.”

“Well you didn’t tell me…umm…..yeah!”

Marco shook his head as his eyes fell upon the wolf’s corpse, began forming in his mind.

“Hey Star…..can you make disguises?”