#the purple patches are burn scars from the departing

[storm-called]

practicing rendering with Fíondorach today

[kaitoujokerscans]

The Night the Silver Cape is Set Ablaze CH5

<5> Spade's Preoccupation

Around the same time, the Twin Thunder Shark was cruising over somewhere else. It was a dark, moonless night. Spade and Dark Eye were sitting next to each other in the pilot seats. They were on a course for the holding place of a treasure they had sent out advance notice for. Spade glanced outside the window to the side. I'm feeling unsettled...

Ever since he had visited Joker's place, Spade's mind had been clouded over. Not because Joker had refused his generosity. He hadn't expected to manage a decent talk with Joker in the first place. What unsettled Spade was how an advance notice had been delivered to Joker from Noir. He had adjusted the story for Joker at the time, but actually, what Spade received wasn't an advance notice.

Spade recalled the letter from Noir.

 To Phantom Thief Spade,

I've heard your skills are top-notch among phantom thieves. I would like to ask your assistance.

-Phantom Thief Noir

 Of course, he was suspicious of the letter from the moment it arrived. Spade wouldn't be deceived by compliments. Joker came to mind immediately.

Is this one of Joker's pranks? Is he just trying to get a laugh at my expense when he sees me take up this offer without paying any heed...?

Then I'll just have to make the first move myself.

Spade had gone out to visit him with full conviction, but not only was it not Joker's doing, an advance notice had been sent from Noir to Joker as well.

Somehow, he felt as if he had lost. This "Noir" enigma was challenging Joker, and he was attempting to recruit Spade for it. Did he think he would be easier to manage? He considered Joker an enemy, yet wouldn't consider Spade as one.

That's why I lied on the spot...

"Spade-sama."

Hearing his name called suddenly, Spade snapped back.

"Kyo kyo, we'll be arriving shortly..."

"Ah, all right."

Spade overlooked the scenery beneath the front window. A small island floated in the middle of a dark ocean. The circular island was completely built over and looked like a maritime citadel. Rightly so, as this was the "Miral Fort Hotel", a former fortress remodeled into a hotel.

Sitting in the middle of the ocean, its manmade appearance gave it an imposing and out-of-place atmosphere. Yet as it was surrounded on all 360 degrees by water and removed from the bustle of the city, it was popular with rich people who wanted rare quiet. In spite of the exorbitant lodging fee, it was booked years in advance. He had come to steal a jewel from a wealthy woman who was staying there.

"..." Spade took a quick breath. "I need to discipline myself better..." he whispered. A letter that could have been a mere prank had him ruffled. Enough of that, don't even start. I have to focus on my thief work...

Beside him, Dark Eye peered over. "Kyo kyo, Spade-sama? Is something the matter?"

"No, it's nothing. It's about time to go."

"Indeed. Shall I still follow the plan you outlined earlier?"

"Yes, that will do."

"Then let us depart," said Dark Eye, putting on a head-to-toe black suit and a black backpack to blend into the dark of night. Then they carefully adjusted the hand of their wristwatch.

"All right, mission start."

"Understood."

Spade pushed a button and the floor opened up beneath them. Still upright, the pair dropped. Their silhouettes were silently swallowed up by the darkness of night.

In one of the hotel's rooms, a man observed the dark sea. A thin plume of purple smoke rose from the cigar in his mouth. The man shifted his attention to the advance notice in his hand.

 Tonight, I will steal the 'Octopus Turquoise' from the lady staying at the Miral Fort Hotel.

-Phantom Thief Spade

 "..." Without a word, the man lit the advance notice with his cigar and flung it into the ashtray. The advance notice burned silently.

"Ohohohoho, so it seems not even Phantom Thief Spade is able to come to this remote island!" Behind the man, a wealthy-looking lady laughed. Though she spoke elegantly, her words had an obnoxious ring. "It was worth renting out this secluded hotel. Even if he does manage to enter, he'll be caught in short order."

"Yes, exactly so." The man exhaled another puff of smoke out his mouth. The cigar smoke silently rose toward the ceiling of the luxurious room.

They were in the hotel's biggest suite. The spacious living room was in a circular shape and was furnished with a large bed and expensive fittings. Sitting in the middle of it all was the predictably octopus-shaped, shining blue gem, the Octopus Turquoise.

The lady addressed the man. "White Hawk, I'm paying you a considerable sum. Do your job well."

"Understood, madam. I may be your bodyguard at the moment, but I am a professional bounty hunter. There are people out there who will pay a hefty reward if I capture Phantom Thief Spade." The man called White Hawk looked at the lady and smirked. Hawk was a notorious bounty hunter. He was a well-built man, with upright silver hair and a military-esque uniform. He wore a patch over his right eye, and a big scar ran over his left cheek. These were proof that he was a seasoned warrior. Most of all, the powerful teeth clenching the thick cigar alluded to Hawk's fortitude.

"I'm the strongest bounty hunter out there! Ain't that right!"

The tall flunky standing beside Hawk answered with vigor. "Yes! White Hawk-sama is the strongest!"

"I sure am! Hah hah hah!" Hawk guffawed.

"Oho, it's an honor to fight someone who boasts to be the strongest."

"!?"

The voice came from the doorway. Who knows when he had gotten there, but Spade was standing at the entrance to the room.

"You! How did you get there!?"

"How? I just waltzed right in from outside."

"You couldn't have... My men were out there..."

"Those were your men? I was trying to not get my hair tangled while fighting and still swatted them down one after another. I would have hoped you could assemble some more formidable footsoldiers," Spade said, glancing at the flunky standing next to Hawk. The tall, unreliable-looking flunky let out an "e-eek!"

Hawk clicked his tongue and glared at Spade. "Tch... well, fine. I'll just capture you myself, right here. You're wanted alive. Count yourself lucky!" he bellowed, before running toward Spade. The tip of his smoldering cigar still poking out of his fist, he threw a punch at Spade. Spade nimbly dodged the blow and leapt back. Taking his small gun out of its holster, he aimed it at Hawk.

"Ice Shot!" Blue-white beams fired from Spade's gun, hitting Hawk's cigar. The cigar's flame was immediately extinguished, and its tip was frozen solid.

"W-What!?"

"Fire's weak to water. To ice, even more so. Everybody knows that."

"Ghh, then how about this!" Hawk said, taking out multiple cigars from his pocket and scattering them over the floor. The cigar tips crackled and sparked. They were bombs!

But Spade wasn't bothered and let loose a fusillade at each and every cigar with his Ice Shot. In moments, all of the bombs were silenced.

"Bah..."

"Your moves won't work on me. There's no better matchup than fire and ice." Spade chuckled. "Well, enough playing around. I'm going after my target now."

"What?"

Spade took a look at his wristwatch and counted down. "3, 2, 1... lights off!"

"WHAT!?"

Right on cue, the lights in the room crackled off. In a moment the whole place had gone completely dark. There was no light coming in from the window, either. After all, outside was the nighttime sea, devoid of even a single light.

"Perfect timing, Dark Eye," murmured Spade. Dark Eye had snuck into the hotel's electrical room and shut off power to all rooms, just as scheduled.

All right, time to take the treasure... Spade relied on his memory to navigate through the darkness, just before he saw a small ember. "...!?" Spade quickly moved himself out of the way, narrowly avoiding the ember.

"Tch!" He heard Hawk click his tongue nearby. Spade swiftly crouched down and stepped away. He heard Hawk's voice come from the darkness. "Phantom Thief Spade... did you think that cigars were the only thing up this bounty hunter's sleeve? My hearing's sharp enough that I can find wherever you are, even in this darkness. So much as twitch and you're done for!"

"......"

He's got me... Spade kept down and silenced his breathing. If he made the slightest sound, Hawk would find him. Still, not moving at all would get him nowhere. Spade slowly reached for his holster.

He'll get to me in a matter of seconds. Can I fire off my Ice Shot before that...? Spade recalled the room's layout with perfect detail. Okay...! He reached for his holster, rapidly now, and grabbed his Ice Shot. There was a slight rattle.

"There you are!" he heard Hawk say in the dark. His fist, with a cigar stuck between its fingers, was flying right toward Spade. Spade fired his Ice Shot, but it went off in the completely wrong direction.

"Ha ha ha! Where do you think you're aiming!?" In the darkness, Hawk's cigar-stuffed fist swung. Its embers were just about to singe Spade's cheek — but before it could connect, Spade vanished and Hawk's punch jabbed through air. "W-What the heck!?"

Hawk immediately pricked up his ears. But he couldn't hear Spade's footsteps. Instead he heard something sliding around the room.

"What's that sound?"

Spade had to be the one making it, but it was too fast. It was like he was circling around the whole room...

Just then, the room's lights crackled back on. Hit by the sudden flood of brightness, Hawk squinted. Within the rays, he saw Spade at the entrance to the room, holding the Octopus Turquoise and smiling.

"Heh heh, as promised, I've taken the treasure."

"M-My Octopus Turquoise!" Behind Hawk, the lady shrieked.

"You fop, how did you...!?" Hawk started, before seeing something glimmer in his peripheral vision. "W-What is this!?"

Hawk looked around and saw a meter-wide line of ice on the walls around the perimeter of the circular room. The line of ice stretched from the doorway where Spade was all the way to the back where the lady was at, making a complete loop.

"It's a line of ice I made with my Ice Shot. I suppose the easiest way to explain is that it's a makeshift skating rink."

"A what?"

Spade lifted up his leg. Now that he could see better, there was a blade like the kind used on ice skates on the bottom of his shoe. "I skated atop the line with these shoes while I was still making it with my Ice Shot. With enough speed, centrifugal force allowed me to skate on the walls to some degree. And of course, I picked up the treasure while I was at it!"

"Ghh...!" Hawk grimaced, biting down on his cigar.

"I'll be taking the treasure, then. Adios!" Spade turned around and jumped out the window in the room. He quickly blew a bubble of Balloon Gum and floated up toward the darkness of night. Behind him, he heard Hawk's voice, yelling "Wait!" at him.

As he steadily ascended toward the Twin Thunder Shark where Dark Eye was waiting, Spade was feeling refreshed, as if a load had been lifted off his chest. The phantom thief business truly is great... It was like all that doubt and second-guessing earlier had never even happened.

That was when...

For a split second, Spade let down his guard. He heard a pop, and a moment later realized that his Balloon Gum had burst. "!?" He looked and saw Hawk on the hotel roof, brandishing a gun. Hawk fixed his sights, taking aim for Spade. Spade's body had started to fall. He was a sitting duck.

Oh shoot...! Spade hurriedly tried to inflate another Balloon Gum, but he got off-balance and the gum fell out of his pocket. "Aaah!"

Looking again, Hawk was aiming directly at Spade. His finger was on the trigger. "You're not getting away, Phantom Thief Spade!"

"Ghh...!" Spade thought it was all over, but just then...

Everything went black, and he felt his body being gently held up.

"Are you all right?" It was a man's voice; one he had never heard before. Whoever it belonged to, he was somehow floating in the air.

"Haah!" The man held up a knife and threw it with force. Hawk's resulting scream echoing from the rooftop was just barely audible. "You're okay now."

Reassured by the voice, Spade's body warmed. When Spade was shocked by something, he became feverish. Then a wiry arm drugged Spade with something. Spade's consciousness slowly floated away.

Spade awoke to a chilly breeze on his cheek.

"Mmm..."

He glanced around and saw that he was in a dark, cold room, with a faint shaft of moonlight beaming in from the window. It seemed to be some kind of decrepit house, but with so little light, he couldn't see the whole room. Spade himself was lying down on a small platform.

"...Spade-kun, how do you do. This is my hideout. So as to keep the location secret, I put you to sleep for a little while," came a voice from the darkness. It was a low, monotone voice... the same one that had saved Spade.

"You're...?"

"My name is Noir. I sent you a letter."

"I see..." So I was saved by Noir. Spade slowly sat up. "Thank you for what you did. I was careless..."

"Hm..." Noir didn't respond. Spade went ahead and asked the question on his mind.

"Why did you send me that letter? What do you want my assistance for?"

"Oh yes... that was a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"I intended to steal a treasure from Joker and, with your help, defeat Silver Heart. However, it appears I overestimated you."

"What? Defeat my master...?" Hearing all this, Spade wasn't even sure where to start.

"You and I have similar circumstances. Thus I believed that you would be willing to help me defeat Silver Heart. Seeing as you are Joker's rival, I thought sure that you would be motivated if I showed you this treasure I stole from Joker."

"You took a treasure from Joker!?" Spade exclaimed. In the dark, a red gemstone caught the light of the moon and gleamed. It was the Crimson Crystal which Joker had stolen from Kaneari. "That's..."

"I won it from Joker in a minute-long match. For me, something such as this is child's play. However, Silver Heart will not be as simple."

"Aha. You have confidence in your skills. You're planning to challenge my master to a match?"

"That's correct. I will never forgive him."

"I don't know what happened between you and Master. But do you really think I would assist with that?" Spade said with a faint smile. Even if he had beaten Joker, he certainly wouldn't help him fight against his master.

"That makes sense... Regardless, I no longer have any need for you."

"Huh...?"

"That theft you just did. You stayed calm and collected through most of it, but at the very end, you let down your guard. That could have been a fatal mistake."

"That was because..." I can't say it was because the letter he sent was bothering me. That's just an excuse.

"My apologies, but I rescind what I said in the letter. I do not need your assistance. I would be better off with Joker, who chose to fight against me."

"Say what..." Spade's eyes flashed with anger as he glared into the dark. "Show yourself! I'll prove to you here and now that I'm not inferior to Joker!"

"Heh heh, I am not in the habit of showing myself to those I deem unworthy..."

"Ghh... Unworthy, you say..."

But Spade knew that he couldn't fight here anyway. His body was still warm, and just getting up made his head feel dizzy.

"Farewell then, Phantom Thief Spade. Return this to Joker for me, if you would," Noir told him, placing the Crimson Crystal on a side table. "It's unlikely that we will meet again. Go ahead and chase behind Joker forever..." he said before apparently walking out. Then in a voice too low for Spade to hear, he spoke to himself. "I'm not like you..." Noir's footsteps faded away into the darkness.

"Wait! Take that back!"

But Noir didn't respond to Spade's shout. Soon enough, he could no longer hear the footsteps.

"Ghh..." Spade balled up a fist and slammed it onto the table. It made a heavy thud, and pain coursed through Spade's hand. He gnashed his teeth, the frustration heating up his body even more. "Phantom Thief... Noir......!" he wrung out.

Then with a great clamor, Dark Eye came in to his rescue exclaiming "Spade-sama!", but their voice didn't reach Spade's ears.

[qwertythepopstarian08]

JSAB Steampunk AU Fanfic- That’s Not Your Brother

A gift fic for @just-steams-and-shapes .

Both of the muns of that blog pretty much shattered my heart with angst, so I decided to return the favor. 

Also, Happy Fresh Friday!

((Once again, I must say that Feeling Blue is on temporary hiatus. I know how I want the story to end, and I WILL FINISH EVENTUALLY, but at the moment, I have no motivation to continue the story... sorry for the wait.))

Description: Belle comes home to find a Deceora in place of her brother. However, it doesn’t want to hurt her, and it seems oddly familiar...

Warnings for SLIGHT BODY HORROR and canon-typical violence.

Luce’s arm hurt.

It’d been aching all day, from his elbow to his wrist, ever since that accursed Deceora sunk its fangs into him the night before. It’d managed to get in through the window, out for blood and indiscriminately raiding houses. Judging by the amount of carnage done to the foliage outside, it’d run amok for awhile, although no other shapes had been harmed, at least not as much as him.

It’d managed to tear into his arm with its fangs before he managed to subdue it. A few swipes and a devastating bite to the wrist left him reeling, and even now, hours later and running on painkillers, he was feeling the effects.

He’d tried bandaging it, but eventually, the adhesives had just caused more irritation, and the wound needed to breathe, lest it get infected. So the most damaged areas were in full view, looking like shattered glass sticking out of his arm, an obvious allure for a nosy older sister.

He hissed under his breath as Belle prodded at his forearm, looking up to see her sticking her tongue out. She had her lucky wrench in hand, and her outfit was stained with motor oil. She’d dragged herself away from her work to mess with him. How sweet.

“That’s gonna leave a gnarly scar, bro.” She blew a strand of hair out of her face, her purple eyes narrowing. “Next time, just call me for help… facin’ a Deceora’s no walk in the park…”

Luce recoiled, drawing his arm back as his sister reached to poke at it again. His horns lowered, the heart rate monitor in place of his eye starting to quicken in pace, showing his annoyance.

“I shattered it, didn’t I?” He reached for a pen, hoping that he could at least distract himself by drawing up some blueprints; he was thinking of weapons, feeling quite destructive at the moment. “Having an arm cannon comes in handy…” He scowled when he heard Belle chuckle, adding as an afterthought, “No pun intended.”

Belle shot back, “Whatever you say, dork.”

All she got in response was a flustered grumble. Luce’s voice sounded a bit shriller than usual, but Belle amounted that to his irritation, not to mention the pain he was in.

The purple cyclops rolled her eye, one of her cybernetic arms reaching up to brush her hair out of her face again. It was quite messy, and a plain ponytail wasn’t cutting it anymore… she didn’t care much about fashion, but as an inventor who worked around gears and moving parts, she couldn’t afford to risk getting her hair caught.

“Y’know what… I think I’ll go out to town… buy some hair products.” She ran a hand through the purple locks, huffing. “Something’s gotta tame the beast.”

She stood, folding her main pair of arms. Luce didn’t look up at her, his heart monitor slowing to a steady, calm beat as he fell back into focus with his work. A twinge of annoyance hit Belle’s core, but it was quickly encompassed as she watched her brother sketch, a small part of herself marvelling at his intuitive ability.

He was only twelve, nearing thirteen in the coming months. It was a wonder that a kid his age knew how to competently work some of the machinery he lived around, let alone create blueprints for it.

He had to learn quickly, though… without parents to properly teach him, the two of them had picked up quite a few skills just to survive...

Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, Belle started towards the door, momentarily pausing to run through her list of errands. She glanced over her shoulder, looking over Luce, who was too absorbed in his sketching to pay her much mind.

For once, her schedule was clear, aside from her personal quest. She’d be home soon, and she doubted Luce could get himself into any trouble like this… the likelihood of a second Deceora attack was slim, anyway.

“I’ll be back in a minute, Luce,” she called. She added with a chuckle, “Don’t get yourself shattered.”

He waved halfheartedly, one of his horns flicking up in acknowledgement. He really seemed to be absorbed in his work. Rolling her eye once more, Belle departed, trusting that her brother would be safe…

~~~

~~~

As the minutes passed, Luce found it progressively harder to focus. The once minor stinging in his arm had developed into shooting, burning pain, which pulsed with his heartbeat, as if his veins were pumping acid instead of blood.

He forced himself to ignore it, at least for a while. He was being productive this way, having churned out five whole blueprints in the hour. They were a bit messy, given the pain in his arm, but he was proud of himself, having finally found a way to effectively distract himself.

However, as the time ticked past, the minutes rolling into hours… the pain had become pure agony, and he finally tore his eyes away from the paper to glance at his arm.

He was willing to bet that it’d started bleeding again, given how high his blood pressure was. His nerves were shot, and as his gaze darted from the blueprints to his forearm, he jolted in shock, catching a flash of greenish blue among the pink flesh.

“What… in Paradise?” He turned his arm around slowly, trying to see if the blighted color was a trick of the light. However, instead of going away, the hue only seemed to spread, forming in rough patches around the wounds. “What.”

Luce’s eyes glistened with a confused light, his horns drooping slightly as he stood, dropping his pencil.

“Where’s the mirror?” He paced almost aimlessly, beginning to feel a deep, paranoid fear. “Where’s the Treeangle-blighted mirror?!”

The lagoon tint had begun to infect more of his arm, spreading like a rash up to his shoulder. It burned, and Luce found himself scratching at the afflicted areas, becoming increasingly irritated as his mind buzzed with frantic thoughts.

His claws felt sharper than normal. He was unsteady on his feet… These seemingly minor realizations drilled themselves into his head, and he was unsure when he started to hyperventilate, his balance becoming skewed.

Luce staggered around the house, his mind reeling, each step sending a shockwave of pain through his form. He was terrified to look, but he had to see what was happening to him. He nearly tripped, locating a sizable mirror as he limped into the bathroom, looking himself over in the reflective glass.

His eyes widened, his heart rate nearly flatlining as he forced himself to stifle a shriek.

“Shards…” He hissed under his breath. His eye was flickering between a sickly lagoon and a frenetic pink. Luce choked, laughing nervously, “This is bad… this is real bad…”

He wanted to scream, but he was afraid of his own voice, unsure where his imagination ended and the real change began.

Luce backed away, trying to steady his breathing. He smiled, although an anxious ache made itself known in his core as he realized… how sharp his teeth looked.

“A’right… You’re fine,” he assured himself. “We’re good… everything’s okay…”

He winced, hearing a loud, resounding crack sound from within himself, nearly forcing him to his knees. His legs really, really hurt…  It was clear that he wouldn’t be standing upright for long…

Growling, he shook his head, returning his gaze to his reflection. In just a few minutes… he looked less like a shape and more like… a Deceora…

“You’re okay,” he repeated, snarling. His horns flicked backwards, a growl spilling from his maw as he shook his head, finding it progressively harder to focus. His heart rate quickened, the monitor over his bad eye starting to beep loudly as his core lurched. He ground out his mantra, forcing himself to stay awake, “Nothing. Is. Wrong.”

A sudden, acidic agony roared from the young shape’s core, and he heard himself shriek, his eyes going wide as he instinctively clutched at his chest. His cybernetic hand flew up to cover his mouth, and he shuddered, terrified.

He coughed violently, flinching as lagoon corruption came away on his hand. There was no denying it. That Deceora had cursed him as soon as it sunk its fangs into his arm. Belle was right; he never should have tried to handle things himself… he was just a little kid.

“E-e-everything…. Everything is… is f-fine…” He hugged himself, trying not to focus on what was happening. His voice was a whisper. Anything above a quiet rasp, and he’d be able to hear the growl in his tone. He wanted to tear the corruption out, but it’d already reached his core… all he could do was hope he could fight it off. “It’s…. O-o-o-okay… i-it’s okay…”

It was getting harder to speak… oh honey butter biscuits, his face was a Tree-forsaken muzzle.

“You… you’rrreeee….” He trailed off with a whimpering croon, shaking his head. “Hhh.. you’rreee… o-okayyy… Yo….Rrrr...o-kayyyyyy…”

Tears rolled down his face, and Luce gave one last, defeated scream, hoping dearly that someone, anyone would hear him. For all he knew, he’d lose his mind and hurt someone… if no one came to shatter him now…

But with his current luck… what were the odds of that?

~~~

~~~

Three hours later, the door creaked open. Belle peered inside, looking around in hopes of seeing her little brother waiting for her, as he normally did. A small part of her expected to see him still sitting at that desk, scribbling away at blueprints. Maybe he actually tried to build something for once and set the house on fire.

As she pictured the possible outcomes, she couldn’t help but grin, wondering what amusing predicament her baby brother could’ve gotten himself mixed up in today.

However, when she entered the house, she was greeted with complete, eerie silence. The lights were all out… the curtains were closed. Her smile dropped as soon as she saw the darkness, her greeting dying on her tongue as her eye darted around, trying to find a reason for the seemingly abandoned state of the house.

She hoped that Luce was merely asleep on the couch or something, that he’d decided to be responsible for once and turn out the lights when he left the room. The chances of that were slim to none, and Belle’s anxiety whispered in the back of her mind, sending her into an instant panic.

“Luce?” she called cautiously. She heard her own voice echo through the building, and when there was no answer, she found herself worrying even more. She walked towards the kitchen, concern riddling her features. “Luce? Where are ya, you little demon child?”

Not even his nickname stirred a response. Belle growled to herself, picking up her lucky wrench. If Luce was just tricking her, she’d clock him in the horns for it… and if he wasn’t, she had a feeling she’d have to fight someone.

He’d just been injured, and it was obvious that he was still in pain. If any rogue or feral shapes had broken in, he wouldn’t stand a chance... Belle started off towards the workshop, hissing under her breath.

“This better not be a prank…” As she inched towards the entrance, she heard a sudden crash, her eye lighting up in tentative hope. “I’m warning you…”

She weighed the odds. On one hand, that sound could’ve been Luce trying to hide, what with the little trouble-maker he was. She had poked fun at him earlier, and he was known for getting petty revenge. It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that he was planning to scare her, just to send her flying into a tizzy over nothing. He wasn’t evil by a longshot, despite Belle’s constant prodding, but he lived up to his nickname as the “demon child.”

Belle felt her smile threaten to return, but she shook her head.

Nonetheless, the other possibility send fear rushing through her, quickly eclipsing all humor. It was rare to see a Deceora this far away from the Corrosive Valley or the Badlands… the odds of it coming with a pack were slim, but it was still possible.

Shattering the first creature would just summon the pack, if they were in the area. And in his current state… Luce would’ve been instantly incapacitated… shattered. Belle steeled herself for what she might see, be it shards or her brother. She’d dealt with loss before, and while she never wanted to lose another loved one, she prepared herself for the worst.

“A’right… I’m givin’ ya five seconds to show yourself…” she yelled.

She heard the scrabbling of claws against tile, and she twitched, trying to restrain herself from charging. It was a Deceora alright.

“One… two… aw, blight it… FIVE!”

Belle let out a battle cry, rushing through the entrance in an attempt to startle the monster. Her eye was blurred from the tears that she’d been holding back, but she kept swinging, suddenly glad to have extra arms. If that thing tried to come at her from behind, she’d knock it silly.

She heard a gutteral shriek ring out as one of her fists met scales, and she reeled, her eye snapping open. The Deceora was quite small for its kind, looking pathetic compared to the monster that had attacked the night before. Perhaps the first creature had been its mother. Chances were, this small, unassuming monster had wandered to their home, searching for its fallen parent. It was too young to fight properly, but a single good swipe from those wicked claws could knock out any shape, even if the intent wasn’t to kill.

In any other occasion, Belle might’ve spared it, knowing what it was like to lose a parent, but now that it entered her home, now that it had possibly killed her brother, all mercy flew out the window.

She narrowed her eye, rage filling her heart. It was hard to focus on the thing, her gaze darting around in search of any sign of her brother. The Deceoras were merciless hunters. It was likely that, if he was in shards, they’d either been devoured or trambled, leaving no traces behind.

Even if this one was unwilling to fight, its instincts would have driven it to feed as soon as the blood was spilled. Luce was as good as dead.

“I know ya can’t understand me…” Belle snarled. She lowered her wrench towards the monster’s snout, her tone venomous. “So I’m giving you five seconds to clear out before I shatter you. Limb. By. Limb.”

It suddenly squeaked and reeled back, nearly tripping over its own legs. It was definitely young and probably hadn’t ventured into civilization before, unable to properly maneuver on a smooth, tiled surface.

It stumbled, the spikes around its head drooping as it stared up at her, almost sad. Belle knew better than to falter, her voice ringing out as a threatening yell as she grew more frantic.

“I don’t care that you’re a baby, I’ll shatter you like you did to my brother!”

At that, the Deceora seemed to understand, if only through the aggression in Belle’s tone. It backed away, drawing in on itself, a small, rumbling whimper echoing from its core. Belle had never seen a Deceora whimper, even when injured. They were natural killers, and they never showed weakness. However, this creature didn’t seem like it wanted to fight at all...even to defend itself… It was truly at her mercy.

She grinned, despite herself. A malicious, vindictive urge welled up in her heart, and she advanced, a wicked sneer spreading across her face. She raised the wrench again. While she was sure she had other, quicker means to dispose of this thing, she wanted to cause it just as much pain as it’d caused her brother. Slowly.

“You probably won’t even fight back, eh?” She chuckled as the monster suddenly squeaked, frantic. “Good. That makes it easier for me.”

She swung. Metal met bone as the wrench made contact with the Deceora’s plated back. It was sent flying, shards bursting from the impact as it hit a wall. It scrambled to stand, a constant, pitiful whimper pouring from its jaws. It refused to run, however, staring up at Belle with those melancholy, distressed eyes.

Belle approached it again, laughing almost madly.

“Not so tough now, huh?” She reveled in the fear that blossomed in the monster’s gaze as she held her makeshift weapon high, preparing to strike. “That’s what you get for SHATTERING MY BROTHER!”

This time, the wrench came down upon the monster’s back, near the base of its neck. It crumpled, a hissing screech ripping from its throat as it covered its head, panicking. Dusty shards sprayed from the bludgeon wound, and parts of its shell were dented and cracked.

Still, it refused to attack… it almost seemed to be pleading her to stop.

“Hhhh….” Its breaths were ragged with pain. It tried to make itself seem small, terrified. “Nnnooooo. Noooo… mrrrrrr….”

Belle relented. She could let it go with a warning, but it’d likely just return when it was old enough to fight. She raised her hand again, scowling.

The helpless Deceora cowered, shaking its head as if in disbelief. Startlingly, tears flowed from its eyes, and as it looked up at Belle, she thought she saw a flicker of pink in its foggy, soulless gaze.

She faltered, glancing at its arms. One of its forelegs was cracked rather severely, from the elbow to the wrist. Belle was sure she hadn’t hit it there. She’d only gotten two good swings, and both had cracked against its shell. That wound was strikingly familiar, looking quite recent...

Shaking her head, she prepared to land a final blow, tiring of toying with the monster. If it kept screaming, it’d alert the rest of the pack… and she’d learn just how threatening a group of protective monsters could be.

“Enough playin’ around…” She squeezed her eye shut. Something felt very wrong. “T-time to die…”

However, as she readied herself, she heard a frantic, hissing squeak that made her stop in her tracks.

The Deceora suddenly shrieked, shaking its head in a frenetic attempt to stop her. Its stubby tail was tucked between its legs in its fear, and its entire form was quivering.

“Nooo… mrrr….. No morrreee!”

Belle backed away, watching it. That was the most sentient display of fear she’d ever seen from a feral. She expected it to go down fighting, but in seconds, any fight that it may have put up dissolved into pathetic whimpers.

Its flailing, panicked state reminded her of a child’s tantrum, and the more it screamed, the less guttural its cries sounded.

“Mowww!” it cried. It let out a sharp exhale, shuddering. “Hhhhh…. hhhhuuurrrrt.”

“What?” she deadpanned. She glared down at the creature, waiting for some sort of response. It probably couldn’t comprehend speech, but she supposed that this particular Deceora had more than a few surprises up its sleeve, and perhaps sentience was one of them.

Its teary eyes glimmered with tentative hope as its attacker faltered. Squealing, it sat up on its haunches, wincing a few times as its cracked shell protested. It looked up at Belle, its eyes continuing to flicker with that too-familiar pink hue, which was slowly encompassing the lagoon shade.

It squeaked, trying to form words, “... E-Eeellllee….” It shook its head, trying again. Its maw clicked and rattled with the effort, the gaps between its fangs producing an odd, whistling sound. Its lack of intelligibility frustrated it, and it hissed, “Eeellee…….it meeee...”

Belle tilted her head, backing away. She cautiously placed her wrench down, folding her arms. Something about the sound the thing was making was unsettling, and she felt a paranoid, upsetting fear beginning to settle in her core. It was almost… dare she say...familiar.

“What… what are you trying to say?” she questioned softly. The gruff, threatening tone had dropped from her voice completely. She was filled with a curious, almost fearful collection of thoughts, her mind buzzing. “Are you trying to speak to me?”

The Deceora whimpered, pointing at her with a shaky claw. Belle instinctively flinched, grabbing for her wrench. The thing just cowered, squealing. It drew back, shuddering as it attempted to speak again.

“E-e-elle…” It perked up as it pronounced something coherent, hesitantly pointing at the purple shape. “Elle… Elle!”

Belle’s eye went wide, and she faltered. “Me?”

The Deceora nodded wildly, trotting towards her. Before she could react, it slumped its entire weight against her leg, wrapping its lanky arms around her in a haphazard embrace. Belle nearly kicked it in reflexive action, only stopping herself when she heard the affectionate purr that rumbled from the thing’s core.

This wasn’t an attack… it was a hug. This creature trusted her, even after she attacked it. Not only was it unwilling to harm her; it was fully willing to risk its life to show her… something...

“M… meeee… Luuucccceee…” Its words were slurred, laced with hisses. “Luucceee...Elle… brr-rrooww… brrrrooootheeer….” It trailed off with a mournful croon, its spikes curving downwards.

Belle looked down at it in trepidation. Its eyes had started to glow a solid pink, its voice slowly losing the gravelly tone.

“Are you… are you trying to say… my name?”

It nodded, then tried again. “Luce… me…” It covered its face, wiping away its tears. “Ssscared…. Hurrrrtsss…”

Those few words made Belle choke on her breath. Without further warning, she reached down and picked up the strange Deceora, placing it… him… on the work table.

Voice breaking, she addressed it. “What… what are you?” She forced herself not to cry, her mind coming to a terrifying conclusion. “Why can you understand me?”

He pawed at some blueprints, trying to make the connection between Belle’s brother and himself. As he looked over the papers, his eyes welled up with tears again, and a whimper spilled from his maw. He looked up at the purple shape, holding a blueprint in his jaws as he frantically pointed at himself. Belle shook her head, her mind reeling as she tried to process everything.

Somehow, this was her brother. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt tears welling up again, her expression set in a tight frown. She’d heard tales of shapes mutating into Deceora-like beasts, but in all cases, they lost their minds and became part of the pack. Luce was still conscious, still trying to speak to her, to convince her not to harm him. He didn’t even lash out… and yet, she nearly killed him in a fit of vengeful rage.

As she failed to respond, the Deceora grew frantic, tears falling from his eyes. His jaws clattered as he gave a rattling hiss, pawing at where his name had been scrawled upon the blueprints, until his claws tore through.

“It… me! Yrrr… brro...brroothheerrr…” He whimpered, eyes shining. “Luuuccee…”

Belle snapped out of her trance, backing away a bit as she looked over the beast. He was unrecognizable, save for the pink hue in his gaze. While his form was monstrous, his body language was frustratingly familiar, obviously that of a sentient child… not a predatory beast. He was so frantic, trying to communicate his identity, but the words scrambled, leaving only a guttural hiss, which only aggravated and distressed him further.

No matter how much Belle tried to convince herself otherwise, there was no denying it; the Deceora sitting before her was her brother.

“No. You don’t need to convince me anymore… I know it’s you, Luce.” Her voice shook as she looked him over, feeling quite guilty for attacking him. He hadn’t even put up a fight to defend himself. He was willing to die instead of harm his sister. “How… how did this happen?”

The creature whined, its horns drooping. It held up its injured arm, showing off the bite marks that lined its flesh. The wounds looked fresh, and if Belle looked close, there was still pink blood among the green ooze that dripped from the cracks.

“I… don’t… know…it jussst… hh-hurts...”

Belle shook her head, growling. “That’s not an answer, Luce! Why are you... Why is my baby brother a Deceora?!”

Luce squeaked, then looked down at his arm. The corruption seemed to be centered around the wound. There was no doubt in his mind that the bite had changed him… somehow.

“A-afterrrr...Yoouu… leave. A-arm h-hurt. Change… into this.” He seemed to be getting used to his new mouth, although his words were still labored. He looked down, ashamed of himself. “M-m-monster…”

Tears finally spilled from Belle’s eyes, and she pulled Luce into a hug, hearing his shaky, rasping breaths. A deep, instinctive fear welled up as she heard the Deceora hiss, although her sisterly love overtook that, her embrace only tightening as she realized that… no matter what form he took, this was her brother, and he’d never hurt her.

She pulled away, finding it hard to look him in the eye, not wanting to see his sentient, deep sadness within those predatory orbs. She didn’t want to see her brother staring through her, unable to communicate. It hurt to see him like this...

“Are you okay?” She instantly winced. Of course he wasn’t okay. He turned into a Tree-blighted Deceora. She sheepishly added, “Sorry… standard question.”

Luce huffed, his tail tapping against the desk as he allowed himself to laugh, his chuckles sounding like staccato growls. As soon as he laughed, however, his eyes went wide. He instantly covered his mouth with a paw, whimpering.

“Not… scare… you…” He whimpered. “I… sound  scary… monster...”

Belle sighed, rubbing her temples as her horns drooped.

“You’re not a monster, Luce. Stop saying that.”

He looked away, his voice airy. “You said… it…” He growled slightly as a twinge of pain raced through is back. “Said… I hurt…. Someone.”

Belle followed the Deceora’s gaze to the bloodied wrench on the counter, feeling a swell of guilt settling in her core. Robotically, she reached for the tool, turning it around in her hand. Luce winced, that pitiful whimper beginning to spill from his jaws again. The purple shape faltered, her eye narrowing. Her gaze softened, and she tossed the wrench in the nearest trash bin.

“There.” She folded her arms. Luce tilted his head, perplexed as to why she’d throw away her favorite tool. She scoffed, a tiny grin starting to quirk at the edges of her mouth. “Anything used to hurt my baby bro is trash, as far as I’m concerned.”

Hearing this, the Deceora’s tail started to wag, rapping against the metal table in a series of rhythmic thumps. Frustrated, Luce turned and hissed, trying to stop the newfound appendage. Nothing worked, and he pouted, looking quite silly. Belle watched, stifling a chuckle; this was her brother, alright.

She suddenly reached for Luce, picking him up before he could protest. He was the same weight, perhaps a tiny bit lighter from the energy burned in his change, as well as the shards he was missing. He whimpered, afraid of being dropped, but Belle just chuckled, shaking her head.

“I’m not lettin’ you go again, ya dork.” Her second pair of arms reached to better hold Luce, and he grumbled, his lanky arms dangling. “I see what happens when I leave ya alone… ya go and turn into a Hue-forsaken Deceora, of all the things.”

Luce huffed, and Belle grinned, glad to see him returning to his normal, snarky self. She carried him to the kitchen, dropping him rather unceremoniously onto the tiled floor. The drop wasn’t high enough to hurt him, but he squealed, scrambling to his feet as he was deposited.

“What… that for?” He hissed, arching up. “Rrrr…”

His Deceora instincts seemed to be shining through a bit, yet Belle found herself uncaring of the threat, her back turned to him as she started to search through the cabinets for anything suitable for a predatory animal. Luce would normally eat a bagel or something. In his current state, Belle wouldn’t be surprised if he requested the souls of the innocent, just to mess with her.

“I’m getting you something to eat, ya demon child.” She chuckled, looking over the refrigerator door to see the Deceora snarling at her, his maw agape. “You don’t scare me. I fought off far larger threats before, and you couldn’t even raise a claw to me.”

He halfheartedly swiped at the air, grumbling. He was, admittedly, quite famished. He wasn’t sure if that was to be attributed to the energy lost in his transformation or just the fact that he hadn’t eaten all day. Judging by how empty his stomach was, it was probably both.

He perked up at the smell of steak, tilting his head as Belle grabbed a plate of the rarest meat she could find, undoubtedly the unwanted leftovers from one of her attempts at cooking. While she was a wizard in the engineering field, the same couldn’t be said for her culinary skills.

She set the plate down in front of Luce, who growled softly, pawing at it.

“You need a fork, or…?”

He shook his head, grinning with rows of deadly fangs. Belle raised her hands in surrender, before turning back to grab a half-eaten muffin. Of course, the little snack was pushed all the way back, and so she had to take a minute to dig through old cartons of juice and milk, not caring as she heard tearing sounds around her.

When she looked back, the steak was already in shreds, the Deceora just looking hungrier from the appetizer. He hissed, his eyes flaring a predatory lagoon as he announced his dissatisfaction, arching up a bit.

Belle winced, her eye going wide as she whispered, “Luce?”

The action reminded her of normal Deceora behavior, and for a moment, she thought that he’d finally lost control of himself. Deceoras were prone to tearing their prey into shreds, decimating them like land-borne piranhas. A twinge of worry hit Belle, and she backed up slightly.

However, just as soon as he’d snapped, Luce seemed to regain his senses.

He seemed to notice what he’d done, whimpering slightly and turning away.

Belle’s expression softened, and she kneeled, looking into his eyes. His magenta gaze was fearful, even now, and he drew in on himself a bit, whimpering.

“Not… okay… can’t think…” He held his head, his eyes flickering between lagoon and pink. He couldn’t decide what urge to act on; the will to flee or to lash out.“Don’t want… to be… monster…”

“You’re not a monster-”

Luce cut her off with a sudden, guttural hiss. Belle reflexively flinched, her eye glimmering with fear as she momentarily forgot who she was looking at. The fear in his sister’s gaze only made Luce cover his face, his form shaking with raspy sobs.

“Don’t want… to hurt you…” He whimpered, his breaths labored. “Can’t control… it...wantsss to hurt you…”

Belle pulled him into another hug, and he squealed, flailing. He rested his head on her shoulder, shuddering violently.

“I… scared…” His voice faltered, dissolving into wordless whimpers and sad purrs. “Rrrr….”

Belle sighed. “I know… I’m scared, too…” She looked away. “Don’t worry… I’ll find a way to fix this… we’ll find a way, together.”

Luce crooned dejectedly. “No… I monster… forever.”

“You… you say that as if you haven’t always been… my little monster…” Belle hugged him tightly, her breaths shaky. “I promise I’ll reverse this… somehow. As long as you have your memories, I won’t give up on you.”

Luce let out a low trill, huffing in disbelief. In all the cases he’d heard of shapes becoming feral, none of them had reverted to normal, even after their ultimate deaths. Then again, none of them had retained their minds, either…

“I’m not giving up on you, Luce… just because you’re a Deceora on the outside doesn’t mean you are on the inside. No measly bite is gonna change that, got it?”

Luce pulled away, averting his gaze. Belle huffed indignantly, narrowing her eye.

“You fought off Deceoras before like nobody’s business. Are you really going to let the least threatening one of them all take you down?”

That got her a laugh. The creature’s horns flicked up, and he glanced at her, tilting his head incredulously.

“Me..?”

Belle grinned shakily.

“Who else, ya dork?” She crossed her arms. “Now, what are ya, a cowardly Deceora… or the best baby bro in the universe?”

Luce finally faltered, turning around. His horns folded back, and he gave a non-threatening growl, pouncing into Belle’s embrace. He shook, although he didn’t seem as distressed as before, having been convinced.

Belle stood, holding Luce for what felt like an eternity. She could hear his heartbeat, and from where she stood, she spotted a few broken pieces of metal under the table. Realizing what the metal was, she put the Deceora down, sighing.

“Well, if you’re gonna be like that for awhile, I’ve gotta make ya some new cybernetic enhancements… your old ones don’t fit anymore, eh?”

Luce perked up, his stubby tail wagging. He trilled in excitement, following Belle to the workshop.

While this was in no way the best situation, they had each other, just like always. And as long as they held on, kept trusting each other and clinging to hope, they’d get through anything… they always did.

[deepintoforestwego]

Worth whole weight in gold

A girl is born.

She is nobody, nothing yet. Such an ordinary, simple origin, product of too common and simple origin. A young couple, three children more, the work accident, death, single mother looking on another hungry mouth and heart breaking as she realizes they can’t manage it, that baby deserves more, and leaves her in orphanage without looking back, wiping tears.

Bah. i know, I know, some of you are disappointed. Angry. Outraged. Where is blood, where is tragedy that was inevitable and so easily prevented, homes burning down to foundations? What beginning is that, so common and reasonable? But don’t worry, soon have Sudice measured and determined shape and length of her thread and it’s place in tapestry and put her on glorious path.

Three women come to her. Second is tall and thin and beautiful, face sharp, eyes sharper still, like surgeon’s scalpels. Her suit is as grey as storm-clouds and gloomy morning sky and great hurricanes, and she almost rises off ground from excitement. She is a witch, from line of cunning and peasants, helping their own with will and wisdom, and of thieves and liars, gaining their desires by money and nice clothes. A smart woman, mystery and science joined together, who knows ways of blood in all forms, as genes and bindings. But blood doesn’t matter here, only choice, as she coos over babes.

Third, by few seconds, is a wizard, short and stocky, handsome and muscled, her nose smashed to pieces, scars over brow and back, patches of too pale flesh set in tanned skin, long braid falling below hips, red and yellow and purple,  blue and pink and white flowers bursting through it, big as fists, signs only she knows meaning and purpose of hanging over her clothes, over jewelry, and few tatooed in ink (and rare few carved into flesh). She delights in baby’s cooing, in each of her breaths, in her love’s soft smile upon serious face, and throws girl in air and catches her, and they go home.

(The First we all know, and ours line best, but it isn’t time to know what she was doing, though I think you can guess).

They do everything correct.

See, first forty days are most important. Because of health too, of course, because baby is most sensitive in that time, but there are more magical reasons for why. Forty days to arrive and forty days to depart, that is what soul needs, and that is time when baby is most vulnerable to curses and demons and all unseen things creeping below surface of world.

Spells, rituals and runes, everywhere. Knives and bullets and even bombs ( it has been years, and they have changed and found more stable work prospects, but once they were warriors and hunters and they shook a world slightly, and there are sorcerers and demons too arrogant or foolhardy or fearless to ignore those trembles-or to follow trail, try to devour those who will one day be songs, not bothering to remember that each word will be written with blood and ash and carried by wind itself. That each pathetic attempt they make only produces more and more reasons to whisper when they pass- no one got pass on them for years.

Well, one did, but that is expected. they are family, after all, and bit of rough housing is expected. She even healed them afterwards).

They do everything correct, every little custom and superstition that is just minor ritual, hidden spell, imbued with love and will and power. New mothers are like that, and they took two more girls too (of them we have spoken and will speak some other times). Well, what they can- many of rituals are focused on breastfeeding and birth mother. Still, there is money given to baby, and eggshells crashed in first bath, and more then month without leaving house, and red thread around wrists.

Girl si born mundane, ordinary human. But in house like that, steeped in magic and mystery, love and power, she could do nothing but become witch.

‘‘I don’t really like fairy tales.’‘ The little girl huffs, pushing away picture books, all same and stale and stupid. Tired old stories, all same scheme that makes no sense- why would somebody who was kind to fox be good king, why would girl with strange dress be a queen.

‘’See, I told you she won’t like them. She is sensible.’’ The mama, grey witch tells her wife, for she knows magic, but in sensible, reasonable way that can be studied and taken apart, and she has never been able to find herself in them as child, never able to find girls full of need for knowledge, anything other then prince.

‘‘That’s ok, we will find you some other books. But fairy tales can be very useful.’‘ The mummy, wizard says, fiddling with metal and screws, for she was never really fond of them, but she knows beauty that is found in language and history of them, especially those spread by peasants and people that know no origin of their tales, and she has walked the path they set out, fought and run and hid following clues set upon them by folktales.

‘‘Just as long as they don’t ruin the child. If she starts mixing and forgetting tales, she won’t live long enough to come of age.’‘ Whispers the hidden, banished woman, hair tangled and hands bloody, watching the scene in puddles of mud and icemelt water, cavern above her, the saline river below, so far away that they can almost forget her.

She is reared on love. Perhaps that is the best way. Love can nurture and strengthen, give somebody strength to light a candle against night, to fight and keep all that they treasure, to fight for others too. Not every hero needs to be mired in tragedy and loss, to continue standing despite everything that is taken from them. Not all lines and fates need to be founded in their Father’s blood across stones, their Mother’s revenges (and she will know the tragedy too, friends shattered under monsters, graves desecrated by the Lady, for hero has many enemies, and blood feuds never cease until we choke out each other, but that is tale for some other time).

She learns love, and duty, and what family means. Though they are all equally old, she takes on role of eldest child, the one that looks out and cares for rules and keeps cousins and sisters safe. From her mama she learns words and spine of steel, and how to keep her face and voice blank and neutral, and from her mummy she learns how to recognize and deal with imminent fights, how to use least she has to get the most. From them she learns how to hold herself without fear, and they distill in her strength they needed to bring about a coup.

But first of all, she never learns to be anything but herself. She is enough, she is correct and perfect in all ways she is. She carves her own life as she wants, bends what life gives her in what she needs and desires, and when things come to halt she does same for others. There is strength in that, an incredible power, in knowing who and what you are and never allowing anything to shake you, bend you in shape you could never accept. And then, you just extend that strength, that certainty to others.

‘‘It is not the quest.’‘ She murmurs to herself, setting off to journey. Just a quick delegation to a hidden village of giants, to ask to borrow some  of strange herbs they managed to harvest and grow, after centuries of people attempting so. Just a normal negotiation and maybe trade deal.

Raskovnik. Razkovniche, rozryw, earthern key, rainbow root. A simple garss, barely more then moss or weed, yet with power to break any chain, open every gate, unlock each lock, shatter every ward and binding spell, to reveal buried treasures. Capricious thing, sometimes found only on Kupala night, sometimes known only to animals. And giants managed to grow crops of it. Useful thing, that they wouldn’t reveal secret of, maybe not even trade, and would surely look onto her as possible thief.

The leader of giants has fingers longer then her, three heads and beard as big as house.  A witch man himself, which isn’t very common among giants- magic is capricious and moody mistress, and just because he is giant doesn’t mean his magic is stronger then hers. Magic demands work and concentration and patience, and so it is just as hard for giant to light a candle or raise pebble when they are starting as it is for human and most don't bother- but those who do find great rewards 

"It has not been long since we had been able to use Craft again, when humans denied it from us for thousands of lifetimes. I am not sure I can trust you that you will not turn on us again." Giant speaks, and woman hides her frustration, even as she expected this. Trust is not something humanity earned from demons, even more than other way.

"Your concerns are natural and reasonable. But our scientists just want to study it. And we could never take on you in this state. You freed yourselves before and would prevent further attacks." Flattery doesn't hurt, nor does knowledge that her family was central in that fight, that her mothers fought on frontlines, that her uncles began the conflict with setting off first spark, that her aunts toppled empires.

"Still, it was barely two decades since then. Meager knowledge and power is all we have to protect us, especially since Cataclysm brought down Middleworld." There is longing in his voice, thundering through hall like beginning of storm, feral thing almost sob. She doesn't know it, but she understands-to lose a home, a world in single night and be forced to run above, to hide in human world, in hollow trees and moving islands is pain nobody should know.

" I'm aware my reassurances don't mean a lot, but would you at least be open to negotiations? My people could give you books, equipment, whatever you may need." He knows her family. Knows how they gathered power, how they crawled up as high as they could, in mundane and magical worlds both. He knows of things they gathered, of battles her mothers led, of how Middleworld shook itself to pieces and cried rain as her uncle died, knows of bargains and paths hidden below salt and ice, shadows and sea.

" Perhaps. Maybe it could be arranged, if somebody underwent some trials of our choosing." And he heard of her, of how reasonable and dutiful she is, and fair, and unwilling to leave any in trouble. Loyal, and honest, dependable and not to be tricked.

" I will do it." She says, and her voice cuts like sword, and on her he sees golden glow of hero.

It turns out, there are horses on the island. Horses of same strange origin as giants, smallest and youngest of them as big as elephants, and the biggest... They were amazing sight, seeing all that giant muscle, those long manes, how they run trampling trees before them-and she was supposed to tame them.

There were also statues all over island, of humans and giants and other creatures, all living being turned into stone, trapped motionless and hard, that she was supposed to rescue.

And finally, a riddle.

‘‘It is not a quest.’‘ She said, in prayer.

The giant, it turns out, has a daughter. A beautiful maiden, really, with milky skin, braided pale gold hair and rosebud mouth. Slender as willow, of delicate, soft features and baby blue eyes, voice soft and pliant and warm as velvet, long eyelashes and calloused fingers. Dressed in loose, white skirts she spends her days spinning on a wheel, baking bread, helping old people walk and stay asleep, rocking babies, getting rid of weeds in garden. She is beautiful and sweet as sugar and incredible.

She could also stomp down on our hero like a bug, But instead she just smiles and offers to make her chambers, and our heroine can just stare dumbstruck and widely smile as she jumps on giant girl’s hand. It is incredible.

Even as she has to sleep in dollhouse.

The young giantess is head of house, as her mother is gone. It reminds our heroine, with her cropped hair and broad shoulders and build few dresses support of something her grandparents would have loved, a patriarchal idyll. Except not really.

All women have power and influence, even ones downtrodden, mocked, trapped. Words and wish for freedom and heart, there is always power and use and skill, no matter what kind. But here, power isn’t subtle or hidden. It is something open, respected and needed and beloved. Those who tend homes are just as respected as those who hunt or trade and reason with other creatures, no matter they a man or woman.

Giantess cooks for her cousins, prepares broths and bakes bread, brings all meals of day to table, and they kiss her hands in gratitude and clean after themselves. 

She makes clothes out of hides and wool delivered by demons they trade with on tools made of entire woods, and her customers heap deers and wild goats in payment upon their doorstep. 

She cares for young and old and sick, and they bring water to their home (it is hard to find such things, for in Middleworld there were places suited for their kind, with seas of freshwater and orchards high as mountains, with cattle big enough to feed them. But in human world, devoid of such natural magics, they must struggle to feed themselves through winters). it isn’t something she could stand, but it is incredible to watch this young woman manage her home as a queen.

Besides, just because she likes churning butter doesn’t mean she can’t shatter skull of anybody who angers her.

She helps giantess in kitchen often. It takes all strength of her muscles, but she brings eggs almost as tall as her, the spoon twice her height, forks that could be used as battering rams, napkins she could use as blankets or carpets. She rides on giantess’s shoulders, crawls through her long, beautiful hair, practices sword fighting with her needles.

‘‘I am sorry we aren’t same height.’‘ Says giantess, who must take care she doesn’t speak too loud, or drop her from great heights.

‘‘Don’t be-this way I can revel in each detail of your beauty.’‘ Answers heroine, and laughs when giantess blushes.

‘‘I am sorry I can’t really appreciate your cooking.’‘ says our heroine, watching loaves of bread bigger then houses, the flour falling off it, grey as her mama’s suits, crust brown as her mummy’s braid, enough flour to make a desert.

‘‘Don’t worry. I’d like if I could properly bite apple, or smell rose, or pick mushrooms.’‘ So many small things, that she can’t properly see or smell or taste, so faraway and unknown to her.

‘‘Your altar is as big as temples at my home.’‘She laughed, kneeling before candles and figurines of Mokosh as tall as towers, holding pendant of sickle and snowflake in her hands, as they prayed and gave offerings.

‘‘Your books are incredible.’‘ Giantess gasps as heroine reads to her from tiny notebook-books are rare with giants, for they spread knowledge by word and memory and mouth, for parchment and paper are hard to make, and carving words in mountains is harsh job. She dreams of learning to paint, and sculpt clay, and of sword fighting and becoming smith.

They will always remember their first kiss, a tiny peck on side of giantess’s cheek.

‘‘You know, I don’t really remember Middleworld. I was pretty young when we had to leave it, three I think. I remember air being clearer but weirder, taller trees, the cows and sky covered by mists. And those caverns and purple streams, you know.’‘ She sighed, a huff of air from her lungs that could have blown our heroine away, but missing that nostalgic shadow of weeping that crossed faces of most demons and many sorcerers.

‘‘ I don’t really miss it. I love it here, even if it is hard-everybody I know and love is here, and there is too many good memories even if life is hard, but I think I should have known it.  Besides, that way I could have traveled. Or maybe I am just missing it by nature-they say it is ours after all.’‘ Her hair of pale gold flails around her head. Everybody knows how it works-Upperworld for humans, Middle for demons, Underworld for immortals.

‘‘I get it. My mama is still sad about her family manor and mines being passed to her brother. I saw them only few times in life and didn’t like them, but I never got chance to know them, why she loves them so much. And now they are gone.’‘ She thinks of mines, closed after stones claimed and buried their owners, now refuge for hundred undead. She thinks of  family manor, razed by fire and water, glass flying, silk turned to ash, icons of saints burning burning as Lady walked through gates that tried to deny her for last time.

Giantess gave her a comb, a tiny thing made of driftwood, several teeth missing, brimming with tension that seemed ready to explode every moment, to reach outwards, above and below and part earth and sky in half. She threw it in front of horses, and wood remembered what it meant to live, and each tooth became a forest, tall and dark, and thorny, so horses couldn’t pass.

Giantess gave her a scarf, a lovely pale blue that seemed almost translucent, that sometimes turned silver or green, and that wiggled and tried to pass between her fingers. She threw it in front of horses, and it grew long and deep and wide, became bubbling river that they could not pass, but which was more delicious then wine.

Then, heroine asked giantess’s father to prick his finger by her needle, and let it rest in tiny bowl on which she inscribed name of their city. And then she went to threshold of each house, and spoke words her mothers taught her, did steps her mama showed her, stood with strength her mummy imparted on her, and called ancestors buried beneath, and snake housekeeper, that speaks for dead and watches over home, and usually leaves only when misfortune si to befall home and wipe it off from face of earth. 

They rose from cracks in earth and stone, and she could not tell whether they were tiny or tall as trees, only that their bodies swirled and bent around her, and in their eyes she saw generations upon generation, and secrets, and love.  And she bent them to her will, for hers was House of Snakes, and from each serpent  she took a bit of spit, and mixed it with blood, then spilled in river and broke bowl into dust and threw it to wind.

Then she called back the forest unto comb, and horses bent their heads and knees to giants, and were as tame as little sheep. And so her first not-the-task was done.

‘‘They say, that spring of river that flows through our island is magical. That it draws water from beneath the land, from sea, or maybe from Middleworld,  and that it has powers of healing and curse-breaking. But rusalkas guard it, and our kind is afraid of water, and it is deep enough for them to pull us underneath. Be careful please.’‘ There are tears at corners of her eyes, and she promises, yes of course don’t worry I will take all precautions, before rain can fall from her eyelids.

Water is trouble for most demons. They have magic knit in between their flesh and bones, and it is way of water to rue spells and magic, especially moving one, to brings chaos and twist spells in something else, bend them like paper. 

( For some reason water reacts violatily with magic. Old wives’s tales say it doesn’t like magic, mama scoffs, for all people have fairy tales and all are equally foolish.

There are theories that all things have some inherent magical properties, and water has strong property of changing and twisting other workings, mummy tells her later, repeating words of old friends, gone in many strange ways.)

Rusalkas, brought from edge of death, know that well, and use it to their advantage. Water nourishes and defends them. People think they have nothing but charm and seduction, but water keeps them safe, and people think them dumb, pretty bimbos good for nothing, but all lakes and rivers are connected, and they know many secrets.

She follows clear, bubbling, cold river, not so long ago only one at island, to it’s source. A cave at shores of island, where one can almost glimpse illusions shielding island, almost brush against wards keeping it hidden from ships and satellites. Sand is fine and grounded, white with golden sheen, and dust dances in air as sunlight reflects on walls of cave as smooth as glass, and she can see shallow pool, blue tinted green, each fish and grain of sand and blade of seaweed visible, crystal foam softly kissing the shore, while near it water springs forth in small trickle, turning slowly in lazy river. She can almost feel magic brush against her, like bite on ear and grip on forearms, like brush of hair on cheek and hot humid breath at neck.

‘‘ Hello honey.’‘ Her auntie smiles long and thin, pale, wrinkled lips purple as in drowned, water brushing her legs yet leaving her dry as she sits in spring, and heroine takes step back, but slowly, not to offend her. her family are things thought to be stories of peasants and horror and children, and she and her kin edge on border of something resembling fairy tales, but Lady Widow has left it all behind so long ago to walk through trenches and abysses of glory, to become legend and myth and miracle. Often she remembers herself, and holds her mind tight and true, wraps and chains herself with reason and laws and customs and pins and buns and  short, harsh, pricked words ‘‘ maybe you shouldn’t curse whole family with eternal hunger  because somebody pushed you out of way’‘, but sometimes...

Sometimes, her voice sounds like faraway song, a wail of tides, and her hair falls like waterfall of ink and silver down her back, unbound and wild like waves themselves.

‘‘Greetings to you too, Auntie. And no, this isn’t quest.’‘ She says, and her Auntie laughs, as she gazes into surface of water, for she knows the way Story bends and shapes world, and knows road it’s actors must walk on, and she knows how long ago she set her family on that path.

‘‘Of course it is. It always is so with our family. Used to be all heroes, false and true, and poor single me, but now it’s all right with you kids. A hero and villain and mysterious donor to seek help from. 

You, wielding reason and sword, came here for three tasks and to win heart of your donor, antagonist’s child- a giant’s daughter, classic! Good choice, you can forget her and have her fight evil witch for you. Would put you ahead of  your cousin in terms of fun plot- did you know he is cheating on his girlfriend with her husband! And none of three knows!’‘ Our heroine gasped slightly at that. Their Auntie never meddled in whom they loved, or how, as long as it was healthy and loving- and insisted on being regularly fed plots of soap operas and tragic folk lyrical  poems  as tributes. She always had soft spot for making fantasies real, which is why big part of their teen years and puberty was spent watching Spanish telenovelas and Turkish melodramas she enjoyed to know what to avoid.

‘‘That is interesting information. Though I must say I don’t think either of us is villain or donor...’‘  She said, calculating in her head how to change topic of conversation and to figure out which cousin was in such predicament, when Auntie shook her head, yet veil from her eyes didn’t move a bit.

‘‘Oh? What of your sisters-one who keeps out of all conflicts and gives advice and secrets to all who bribe her, and one who would do anything and forgive everything for sake of our family and her strzyga lovers?’’ Sister who would be left alone with memories and bitterness beneath earth and forests, giving information and aid to monsters and champions both who pass her trials, and sister who would fill lakes with blood of innocents to prolong lives of three of them through centuries, until one day hero would come to Lady Widow who would give them sword and secret and send them off to deliver her girls to  Winter Mother. But that was far away.

‘‘ And here are you, on second of your tasks. To retrieve a magical water of life to turn stone into flesh, and pass dangers while you are on it. Don’t worry, there are no rusalkas here anymore. I did nothing to them, they just run away.’‘ All lakes and rivers are bound, and all rusalkas remember Jagoda’s screams. And they fear Lady Widow, for they cannot stand her, and know not half of what she does, and she has all of theirs knowledge.

Rusalkas are children of lakes and rivers, fresh and always moving, never stopping. But all of it flows to the ocean,and Lady Widow was reared on hard ice and fishing boats, and in her blood is memory of chilly stagnation and sea salt.

‘‘So, would you then help me? As favor for family?’‘ She asks, hoping to focus her. Sometimes, Lady Widow, so tangled in legends and mysteries, born with foresight, would lose track of time and space and anything not cryptid enough to be understood without decades of research. And our heroine needed no prophecy.

‘‘Ah, but here family means nothing. You are heroine, with sword and reason and love, here to fulfill your second task and free stone unto life. I am maker of dark bargains and granter of wishes, sea witch and fairy godmother. I am thing you find on crossroads, that foolish men dream and desire and can never have, that soldiers sing about around fire before greatest battle, one whose secrets make kings and slay dragons. Are you sure you want to tangle with that?’‘ She asked, and rose to dance in water, her elder body moving graciously, in perfect ballet movements.

‘‘There are no more kings and no more dragons. World changed.’‘ At least in some ways. They all feared it, but Auntie would never part veil so much, would never reveal demons and sorcerers to world. they hoped so at least.

‘‘Yes, but it can change again, to times of glory and carnage. Middleworld was lost in a day, you know- it’s towers ground unto dust, it’s armies bowed and buried, it’s people banished to humanity by wood and water. It is just question of right moment when everything becomes ash and then Forest and then ice.. And then... then..‘‘ She spun around, sighing and singing, mumbling words in language her mama hated, that Lady Widow learnt first, before Englishand French and all other so called dignified, cultured words.

‘‘Auntie... Auntie, can you help me. Please.’‘ she asked, not pleading, but not showing irritation.

‘‘Hmmm. You sure I don’t want to tell you how your mama will die?’‘ Lady widow asked, twirling, but her tiny black hat never fell off.

‘‘I know you will kill her, and it will be bloody and petty and glorious, throne of bones and screams of children and all that. Please.’‘ She rambled off.

‘‘Perhaps, but not for now. And it might be  illness, or drunk driver, or mines that claimed so many of her family, on both sides,  or betrayal by best beloved ones who will take swords upon my words, and maybe Sun will war on the Moon with sage and eight sticks of fire with her, and darling girl of mine, should you go on quest once for me, I will give you way to change stone into living and clue for riddle.’‘ She stopped her dancing, and our heroine almost said finally, but she was too wise for that, and just nodded.

From somewhere, Lady Widow took a green plastic bottle, one they put carbonated water into, and ruby to close it. In she put water from spring, and strange powder, and then she bent down and touched neck of bottle with her lips.In but a second, world faded away, and only SHE was real, and everything was cold and brilliant, and our heroine felt fear turn her blood into ice, and that was good for otherwise her hands would try to tear out her heart as offering, and she bent under weight that tasted of salt and darkness.

‘‘ Rest is just a show, you know. It is all in the kiss- sprinkle it over statues, and they will feel it and think more is to come, and stone will turn to blood and bone, hoping I will grant them a half of touch more. Which is pity, because they will rot so fast, but their lives are theirs to use as they see fit. As for riddle- it will be one of classic twists, you know, tricks and hidden meanings and metaphors, requiring to think by heart.’‘ The she handed her niece bottle, and jumped in shallow spring and dived deeper then there was depth, in cold and dark that wasn’t there moments ago, and potion worked as she promised.

‘‘So girl, your final task-tell me what you think is greatest treasure of this island?’‘ Three heads ask at once, before gathered inhabitants, shortest of which are for three heads taller then her.

‘‘That is easy, sir. Greatest treasure on this island is without doubt your daughter.’‘ The answer is correct, and they don’t have time to congratulate her because they must keep young giantess from fainting.

There are adventures after, too. There are messages through magical stones and visits and spells that can make giantess as short as basketball player and human as tall as house. our heroine learns to climb on mountains in few steps and sew, and giantess learnt to paint and wield ax (sword didn’t work well enough, it turns out, but she tried). And finally, there is wedding.

Both families and all friends, gathered around statue of Mokosh, our heroine in her ceremonial armor, silver and lined with gold, her bride in white dress woven with wildflowers, demons of all shapes and forms laughing and dancing while dark haired witch with snakes around her officiates in name of Old Ones. Two processions are held, one as humans, other as giants, and there is lots of fight, but almost good natured about which goes first. It is eventually decided giant’s will be first since giantess will take up her wife’s surname, which makes her mama cry with happiness. ( No mention of  dowry and bride price of course. Last time somebody joked about it Lady Widow called forth thousands of white cows from the sea to bride’s family and asked for adequate dowry).

‘‘So, my girl got herself a hero.’‘ Giant says, all three heads weeping, as Lady Widow sits on table next to him, and they all shrink from her, though her hair is bound tight.

‘‘Yes, though I’d say  she herself is one. But rather fitting, married in right family- all wise and smart and trickster, theirs line is.’‘ So is our heroine’s mama, smart and good at fulfilling tasks to get help. Her mummy and uncle are strong and fearless and can take what they need, however they want it. Her other aunt is pretty and sly, charming thing, manipulating and binding people to her will. Their children are all like that- whether hero, monster or donor, they are strong and smart and charming and beloved, and even little kind (none of them like her hero, the fourth brother, the dead one, who wasn’t beautiful or respected or adored, but who would wade in darkness and deep woods for sake of lost strangers and what is right, who would feed animals and beggars, who would venture in deep water, beneath ice and salt and make bargain for which only he would bleed).

‘‘I heard of you, you know. Lady Widow. About feud and plans you have for this family. If it happens to involve my daughter somehow...’‘ Whispers like that reach whole world, of manipulations and poisons, of court feuds and blood spilled over asphalt, of curses and destroyed graves. They are children of their parents, by love and that is worse then blood, and price must be paid if they go on with their legacy, until only wizard with her flowers and braids is left spared, for friendship once treasured.

(This is what they all forget, heroes and monsters equally. Their parents are people, and they have their stories. They have sins and victories and memories and secrets, and legacy they wear has price).

‘‘She is my niece-in-law. I will love and protect her, see her wishes made true as much as possible, keep her safe and happy as much as I can, and bring damnation in all that dare harm her. And i will treat her same as all if she comes to beg and bargain, and should she harm my sweet niece or anybody else of our kin or invoke my enmity I will color my waters with her blood and make myself a bread out of her bones.’‘ She loves her nieces and nephews, almost as much as her own descendants. She is proud of fame that awaits them, fame that she gave to them as gift.

She fed them her milk, after all.

‘‘You can try. It would not take my daughter a lot to squish you down as a bug, or hack off that plotting little head of yours. She could gut you like fish before you would blink.’‘ Lady Widow smiles, and her teeth glint wide and sharp like icicles, like jaws of something from ocean’s depths, where sunlight never reaches.

‘‘You can try all of you together now if you want. I always said wedding is no good without some massacre, and it has been some time since I had such big targets to rend into dust.’‘ There they are like him, all so concerned about lives of others and laws and blood on carpet, but they don’t even know how to get rid of evidence properly. Truly, this family would be lost without her guidance.

She jumps down from table onto floor, glinting graciously as if on stag, her fingers barely touching cobblestones. Still she is proud of those children, and sets to job of making gifts, long life and status of idol and rows upon rows of failed enemies.

There is no need to bless them with long-lasting, eternally kept and simmering love. Seeds of it are already there, in their kiss, in hug that seems to be eternal, as if they are melding in one.

‘‘Lovely girls.’‘ Says the officiator, sipping her wine coated with pomegranate and roses, snakes whirling around her like necklace, hair as black as coal.

‘‘Yes, they are. Even if they are incredibly oblivious.’‘ At officiator’s amused, curious gaze, she hands her another glass and points at winking blonde rusalka gazing in her direction, and watches girl blush and stammer.

‘‘That was lovely story, Hans.’‘ The old woman says to man next to her, smelling of thunder and summer grass, her short hair white and brittle, her hands calloused from swords, while her wife stands beside her with her braid of pale gold.

‘‘I’m glad you love it so Aunts. I think they all figured out who we are talking about, with all snuggling and whispering you did.’‘ He smiles, sharp and white as icicles, as thing from depths, as his grandmother, and two of them giggle and go to woods, to their hidden cottage and their cats and friends, cottage that shifts it’s inner size in order to  comply to them and their whims.

Cavern above her, the saline river below, so far away that they can almost forget her, Lady smiles scrying scene in icemelt puddle, and counts it as one of her wins.

A happy ending, ever after and forever.

[jaeneal]

The Unfortunate Princesses

The Scarred Princess

A long time ago in a small kingdom lived a princess. Her father had been killed by the current king to take over the throne. Now, herself, her stepmother, and her sisters were forced to live in the slums of the Kingdom. The princess had some inherent magical abilities of her own; she could possess animals  and make them do as she pleased. Her existence was an invidious one. She was beaten, set on fire, and had boiling water thrown on her. She was once so elegant, so beautiful, now she was grotesque and scarred. Her stepmother practiced dark magic and exercised them on her. Her experiments drained the color from the princess’s once beautiful eyes and hair. Her long blonde hair which was reminiscent of sun shining was now a snow white. Her eyes a deep ocean blue drained to a pale stormy gray. The princess hated her life and bode her time and begun to plot against her captive family. The family was invited to a ball at the castle and would not and could not take her. Which angered her further. The way they had so quickly forgotten her father and flocked to the new king she screamed at them and called them harlots and was beaten mercilessly for it. They left while she was still bleeding on the floor but she recovered quickly. She commanded her stepmother’s cat to bring her the keys to her stepmother’s potion basement. Once she had done so she mixed and matched certain potions to make the perfect devastating potion. Now she just needed to get to the palace. As she prepared to leave the shack she heard a jingle then loud crackle. An older woman who introduced herself as her fairy godmother had appeared before her. She greeted the girl and told her what her purpose was. The girl looked at her and was perplexed then in the inner workings of her mind hatched a plan. She slipped from her satchel when the woman wasn’t paying attention and threw the potion at her. Her skin desiccated and  fractured almost instantly, her eyeballs burst into clouds of dust, and she began to fall apart.  The girl swept up the eyesore and found what she was looking for. The old woman’s wand. she picked it up and healed her scars, restored her beauty, but left her eyes and hair the same color as reminder of her struggles. all was not yet over, she conjured herself an opulent dress. It was white and blue ,backless, that went down to her ankles and stopped quite scandalous indeed and she finished the dress off with glass slippers;  a personal touch. She meandered into the pumpkin patch in the garden out back and created an egregiously enormous carriage. She then made her way to the palace.  Upon reaching the palace she mutated the guards into bat-like creatures that attacked various party goers. She swaggered into the ballroom  to behold her accomplishments. The king roared at her which annoyed her profoundly so she blasted a hole through him with her newly acquired wand. She then found her stepmother and sisters who pleaded with her not to slaughter them. She considered this. Then, commanded rats to eat her stepmother and turned her stepsisters to geese. She later found and forced the prince to marry her with a love potion she had created earlier. She ruled the kingdom now.

The Fleeting Princess

About sixteen years ago a girl took over a kingdom and forced the kingdom’s prince to fall in love with her. During this time they attempted to have a child and failed three times. They were finally successful when she gave birth to a delightful darling infant girl. she looked very much like her father. She possessed jet black hair, crystal blue eyes, like her mother had once had. She also had the fairest skin in all the land. Soon after her birth those year ago her father evaporated enigmatically. She grew up under the care of dwarven nannies. She abhorred living in the palace. She never had any true friends or  enjoyment. She soon planned her liberation. The dwarfs had made an escape route for her that she would go in the dead of night through. As she smuggled her way through the tunnel she could hear the dwarfs cries of torture and pain. She expedited her pace she knew if her mother caught her there would be little to no mercy. She eventually made it to the forest outside the kingdom. there was a large cloud of smoke and a woman’s scream. She was sure it was her mother’s wrath, she began to run far more swiftly. She then tripped and fell into a creek and hit her head on a stone. The girl awoke in an old little shack. She looked around and saw a gaunt girl no older than she was. she had beautiful curly goldenrod hair and olive toned skin. She walked over to the injured princess and explained to her that she needed to lay down. the tall girl sat down and began to sew and sing. It was a beautiful sound, like a harp with a cello. the princess had fallen asleep because the girl had returned to her room with food and woken her up. she fed it to the princess and spoke to her while she did so. the princess had been asleep for about seven hours.  Just around that time three small jingles sounded throughout the small shack and three, small, and round fairies appeared in front of the princess.  They introduced themselves as did she. They healed her wounds and they spent the rest of the night playing games . As they slept in the dead of night the Queen came to the little shack. She set it on fire. She then teleported the princess to her and grabbed her by the hair and told her not to speak. She then began to lock the shack so that magic could not escape it. She coerced the princess to watch the shack smolder. Then, they both sifted through the ashes for skeletons. They found all three. Then, they returned to the palace.

The Gypsy Princess

Shunned by the majority of the population in the kingdom, the woman who was crowned a queen of the gypsies because she spoke out openly against the queen’s reign. Seven arrests and nine fines she still protested. She was one of the most alluring women in the land as well. her caramel skin, topaz eyes, and mocha colored hair. This time she had organized a protest against the massive slaughter of dwarfs. She was in the middle of the clamorous crowd when the queen herself and a squad of guards arrived. The Queen looked livid she ordered the woman to be strapped to a wooden pole while the rest of the protesters were mowed down by crossbowmen. The Queen told her that the protests were vexing and a waste of her time. She then turned and blasted the gypsy with a ball of fire. the woman screamed as she burned. she smoldered for six hours before she died and was reduced to ash. her death caused massive rioting and violent acts to occur all which were put down much more violently with almost no survivors. all gypsies were hunted down and killed as a product of the riots. as all of this was proceeding a letter was departing to a beautiful desert city where a relative of the gypsy princess lived.

The Caring Princess

About sixteen years ago there were two kingdoms in the land. They lived in tranquility until the queen usurped the king’s throne. The Queen was basically omnipotent with her magic and sent her armies to attack the other kingdom. The King and queen of this kingdom had four fairy advisers. Three were light fairies and one was a dark fairy. the dark fairy stayed behind and perished with the king and queen while the light fairies took the newborn princess to the forest and raised her there. One day when the princess was out collecting fruit for a pie so the fairies could bake it she heard a girl scream. She followed the cry. the princess was statuesque and handsome, barely weighing more than a goat. as she followed where the cry came from she came across a creek and there she saw a girl  with hair as black as a raven and skin white as snow. the girl was unconscious when the princess found her. the princess was much stronger than she appeared for she picked the girl up and carried her back to her home. The girl stated asleep for seven hours before she stirred when she did the princess introduced herself and fed her. The princess wondered why she why  was alone in the forest but didn’t pry. After the girl had been fed the princess began to sew her dress for her wedding that would take place far away from the forest that encased her for so long. She hadn’t realized that she had been cantillating and the girl had fallen back into her slumber. The princess smiled and went to bed herself. only to be awakened in the dead of night by smell of sulfur. The girl was gone. She had done this. she saw one of the fairy’s corpse crushed under what had been the stairs. She began to panic. The smoke and fumes were smother her. She started to crawl to the dining room area that was not yet incinerated. She found the last of the fairies mourning over the  asphyxiated corpse of her counterpart. Her face lit up when she beheld the princess alive with her own eyes. she crawled over to the little plump fairy. The fairy whispered something in her ear as the roof caved in.  she felt refreshed in her death. She smelled sea salt and heard seagulls squawking, the sea she never saw. Then, she felt water hitting her face. she opened her eyes and felt the grains of the sand. it was soft and wet. It was nice. She looked up and saw the ruins of a castle on a seaside cliff.  She was intrigued. So, she went to the castle. She strayed to an old brick road. She saw a skeleton of a fairy. The one that stayed behind. the dark one. Her purple and black robes had long been ripped and her helm cracked down the middle. Her scepter was snapped in half next to a bird’s skeleton. Curiously, another raven kept following her as she strode up the path to castle. when she arrived at the castle’s gates there was a huge hole in them. she simply slipped through it. she admired the murals in the castle though they were faded but then she looked at a statue. Every negative emotion she ever had unleashed themselves. The statue had faces that adorned the king and queen’s portraits mixed into one statue. Just as she was about to snap, a voice spoke out and told her they were her parents morphed together in a statue. The bird that had been pursuing her had manifested itself into the dark fairy. her voice was deep and lulling. She was towering, intimidating, her skin was a pea green tint, and she was not as ugly as the previous fairies had said. The princess even though she was quite beautiful. The fairy explained what happened the day of the final battle. She fabricated her own death so that in case of an emergency such as this she could save the princess and she wouldn’t be alone in the world. It was the dark fairy who sent her here before the anti-magic shield completely in circled the shack. They spoke for about an hour when the fairy put her hand up calling for silence. She explained that a sea witch had claimed this are for her own. Just as she spoke a large crab like creature burst through the doorway, the fairy quickly froze it. She looked at the girl with tears in her teal eyes. She quickly explained that she would put a spell on the girl that would turn her into a swan for seven days long enough to fly away from this place. However, the beast can track whatever a person’s appearance is so she took the princess’s appearance. Lastly, with tears in her eyes the fairy altered the princess into a swan and watched the princess fly to where her prince awaited her. The dark fairy unfroze the  beast and was grabbed and sprinkled with a dust that rendered her unconscious and was placed in a basket

.

The Scarred Princess

A year after taking over the kingdom and marrying the prince the princess had become the queen. For years they tried to have children three time until finally She gave birth to a delightful darling infant girl. One night after the girl was with her dwarven nannies the Queen went to her bed chamber where her husband was waiting at the balcony. She smiled at him approached him and kissed him. After a long embrace they took a breath and  his face began to dissolve. He looked at her and smiled with what remained of his jaw as she walked away from the balcony with a smirk. Thanking him for his services. Fifteen years later her daughter hit a rebellious streak. she attempted to leave. this amused the Queen. She fed the dwarven nannies to her chimera. she then followed the princess’s trail through the city and was stopped by an impudent and psychotic Gypsy woman who she blazed at the stake. she continued her way to forest after dealing with the riots that roared all day. she then found her daughter with fairies. She thought she had killed them all. She teleported her daughter to her and blocked any magic from being used at the house and then she set it aflame. However, as she was watching the cottage burn she felt a magical twinge elsewhere in the world. She knew the most powerful fairy had survived and she knew where she resided.  When she returned to the castle she contacted the queen of the depths to take care of the fairy. While she punished her daughter.

The Broken Hearted Princess

About thirty three years after the kingdom was overthrown. Deep in murky depths of the sea that surrounded the kingdoms., there was a kingdom of mermaids. They were beautiful each of their scales scintillated a different color; like a living galaxy. However, the Queen of the mermaids was the last of the subspecies of octi-maid. She had seven daughters, each so alluring, they could cause ships to derelict on rocks and reefs just because they were distracted by their beauty. The youngest daughter was free spirited and acute. she had stunning red hair the color of fire and beautiful blue eyes the color of unpolluted water. She often swam around a palace port far away from her kingdom and admired a prince. He had black hair speckled with white and eyes the color of a seaweed sapling. They had spoken a few times and they were both infatuated completely and utterly. she knew what she had to do she had to get her mother to grant her the ability to go on land. However, her mother only gave magic wishes to the heir of the throne. She had to get rid of all of her sisters. She invited them all to a party at the palace and then opened A window for sharks to pour in. they were all ripped apart in a feeding frenzy and she had been victorious. She waited a month before requesting the wish from her mother. Her mother understood at once. She granted her the wish but didn’t tell her the catch. she had one hour to reach him before she turned to sea foam. She rushed off, she made it the palace and walked on land for the first time. She saw him and they both smiled right as she turned to sea foam and perished. at the palace under the sea her mother met with the queen of the surface world and both smiled in agreement.

The Red princess

About a month after the princess of the main kingdom returned to the kingdom, a harlequin, appeared before the Queen. She showed the Queen a hat. She obtained it from an insane hat maker in an obscure land far from here. she showed the queen the powers of the food from the land. the harlequin also warned that a force would be coming from this land. far more powerful than the queen had ever seen before. The Queen was intrigued by this land and took the hat from the harlequin and killed her. Then, sent spies through the hat to the land. during that time a little girl of twelve played in the rose garden   of a far away land under the watchful eye of a large white rabbit. she and the rabbit frolicked and then she fell on her back and looked at her night sky. It was gold dancing with silver always moving. Around this time a large flat guard somewhat resembling a card came to her and took her to her mother, the Red queen. The little girl first had to change into a red and black checkered dress with ruby shoes to be in her mother’s presence. The princess stood in her mother’s court bored. she wandered out into the courtyard. the princess crossed the courtyard to her room. As she entered the giant mirror she had,looked at her. she looked back at it and it froze. Then she began combing her scarlet hair. it was shoulder length,  basically never moved, and always straight. Her mother’s subjects obsessed over it. she often wished to leave this place of oddities and backwards lifestyles. It was at this time she heard a bump and a tumble. she quickly grabbed a piece of cake and a bottle. Just in time to be grabbed and gagged. She awoke in a bright room tied to a chair. Her captors were speaking a strange language she didn’t understand. they saw she had awaken and began to interrogate her, at first they dipped her hands and feet in boiling water. during this process she didn’t scream or cry. For she was born without the ability to feel. it made her captors so angry and she couldn’t understand why. This place was nothing like her home it was too dull, too harsh, too orderly, and most of all too real. She thought of her mother’s croquet games on Tuesdays. The flamingos were so elegant. she even missed her mother’s court jester with his funny hat. Now, she sat bruised and longing for home. the princess awoke to a loud explosion and crashing noise. She pulled herself up and she saw enormous butterflies in the sky. They were all dropping card-like soldiers. her mother had to rescue her. cannons began to fire at the butterflies. This was the first time she had been able to move around freely in her room, alone. She looked around where her dress was thrown  and looked inside the pockets right where she left them; the cake and bottle. She quickly unwrapped the cake just as two guards burst in. She stuffed most of it in her face and grew four feet and flung the guards out the window. As she did this she saw the entrance to her home close and the rest of her mother’s forces start to crumble. They began to lose soldiers much faster now. she saw her mother attach the Queen of this land but as she did so the Queen merely wave her hand and a wave of light beheaded her mother. The princess had never felt pain before but if she had to guess this is what felt like. she burst out of the room and ran towards the wall and broke through it. The princess made it to the forest. It was all very disorientating due to the cake. She passed a burnt little shack, thousands of small skeletons, and thousands of normal skeletons. She followed an old road to a castle by the sea. It was mostly destroyed as she approached it. She tipped over skeleton with a helmet that looked like huge horns. As she tripped the bottle she had nearly fell out of her dress. she managed to read that it said drink me. So, she did so. She shrunk back to her normal size and regained her mind. She still could not return home. So, she continued onward into the desecrated castle. Skeletons littered the courtyard, murals that once adorned the walls were faded and nearly gone, but the strangest thing was the king or queen she assumed because whoever it was, was on the throne turned to stone. The statue looked very much looked like the both the king and queen in the murals. As she got closer to the statue a giant crustacean monstrosity grabbed her and threw her into a basket. She was in it with another girl who had dark goldenrod blonde hair and was quite lanky. She was unconscious and dirty. Then, as the girl looked up dust sprinkled on her face as she slowly fell asleep. The princess woke up in a cage that was made some blue sharp substance. it was suspended over cauldron of a boiling purple liquid. She didn’t really care anymore. Her mother was dead and there was no way of returning home. A pot was lowered into her cage, no,  her prison. She looked into it, it held a yellow and blue striped fish covered in some sauce. She figured she might as well eat. she took a bite of the fish, it was salty, cold, and spicy.  This is what broke her. She began to weep. The food of her homeland was either sweet or tart and very warm. She had never tasted something so repugnant in her life. Through her tears she saw the girl she had been captured with. She was being dragged to the pot that the princess hung above. Though her head was now shaved, now something was happening. The pot was being  moved, a pool of water took it’s place and in front of the pool of water sat a large woman but the woman had two green and blue tentacles coming from where legs generally come from. She sat on a skeleton of huge man. Though he was missing feet as well and looked as if they had once been fins. There was a scream when the girl was pushed into the pool and a huge shark jumped and ripped her in half. The pool was now tainted in green blood. The large woman waved the trident she held and the cauldron moved back to its place. The princess dried her tears and realized that she had to escape. Now that she had dried her tears she saw the woman clearly. She had hair the color of the princess's, she was olive skinned, and quite muscular. also pregnant. a large lump protruding from her stomach. That night she hid the fish bone from her meal. She managed to get the lock to face her, then she began to attempt to pick the lock. About an hour after picking at it she finally opened the lock and the bottom of the cage swung open. She fell, grabbed onto the bottom bar of the cage door and her toes dipped into the cauldron. It burned quite badly. She swung to the floor and sneaked to the exit. Her feet were beginning to burn even more painfully. She looked down and she could see her toe bones. She began to panic and rushed to the castle. She made it to castle wall as her leg disintegrated and she screeched and fell in a crevasse. The crevasse was deep when she hit her back broke and the potion stopped . She grunted in pain and looked up in the darkness. She thought she saw a smile in the shadows. She coughed up some blood, smiled, and didn’t move again.

    The Hidden Princess

She went out one night.

My Sister.

It gave me such a fright.

My Sister.

She left her books.

My Sister.

She’s upset.

My Sister.

I'm breaking out in a cold sweat.

My Sister.

She’s broken the door down.

My Sister.

She's different.

She gets close to me.

She picks me up.

She rips my throat out.

My Sister.

The Trapped Princess

The two lovely princesses of tower were born and raised there knowing nothing of outside life, of the horrors occurring around them. They were raised by living furniture and a wooden boy. The younger girl was mad and never left her room, all food was brought to her. All she ever did was eat and brush her beautiful, long, and silvery blonde hair. the elder sister read entire libraries in weeks, grew roses of black, red, blue, and white. she recently grew more and more complacent about being the tower. She could never leave her sister without feeling extreme guilt. or could she? She fought this feeling while she cleaned, ate, and gardened. She then decided to leave the tower knowing full well the magic would die as soon as that door opened. She put on her cloak and grabbed a lantern as she was just about to open the door. The wooden doll nanny tried to stop her. she looked at him with a vacant expression while he yelled at her. She then grabbed a torch on the wall and set him aflame and then she opened the door and the entire tower shuddered. She looked behind her and ran out into the night. she kept running and didn’t stop until she was out of the woods and hit a road. However, she was nearly ran over by a carriage. As the carriage stopped a woman in an elegant white dress stepped out. the woman demanded to know what the reason was for halting the her carriage. Then, she set her gaze on the girl. the woman was terrifying. She was missing an arm and had a scar down her beautiful skin. Her hair and skin contrasted each other so well. The woman pulled out a wand made of a finger and aimed it at the girl. She tried to get up but it was too late she was struck. She was flung back into the forest and her bottom half began changing into something snakelike. while her arms began to get scales and her hands grew claws. Her face once beautiful and fair now scaly and fang ridden. She became mindless and had ever known one place her entire life. she raced to the tower up to the top and ripped her sister’s door down. Eviscerated her body with her claws before beheading her head with her new-found jaw. During her thrashing she slithered off of the balcony and fell to her death.

The Scarred Princess

War wasn’t rare in the kingdom, even beings from another realm have attacked. However, this time was a surprise attack and well organized. She was beyond furious. her army was in disarray, her citizens were being slaughtered and her her castle was burning. She knew eventually their leader would make their way towards the throne room. So, she and her daughter waited patiently for them. She was correct in her assumption because not an hour after the siege started two people and a tiger came into the throne room. Her daughter and her remained invisible while they looked around, then the Queen struck the girl with a spell while her daughter killed the tiger and the man. The Queen knelt down to the slowly fading girl and smirked and spoke with a voice that sounded like winter and night produced a child,”Nice Try” then, turned to see her daughter with piercing red eyes. She could feel the power radiating off of her. her daughter struck her with a spell that she’d never seen before.  She scoffed as her organs failed. Though she was never one to go down without  a fight. She gathered all of her strength and blasted her daughter’s arm off. She heard her daughter let out a cry as she coughed up tainted blood, then collapsed on the floor, dead.

The Desert Princess

Seventeen years after the kingdom up north was taken over by its current ruler. the sultan of a desert nation received a letter from one of his relatives up north. upon, reading it he was furious. To learn that his sister was gypsy and was burned at the stake he was livid. He traveled to the southern tip of his enormous city to speak to his daughter, war general, and the princess. She was sitting with her husband in their bedroom. As the sultan walked in the husband bowed and left. The daughter walked over and started to pet her beautiful white tiger. The sultan explained what had happened and what he wanted her to do. She was to prepare the army and travel up north and avenge her her aunt. Her husband, her tiger, and herself traveled via an enormous elephant that was actually a genie. For seven weeks they traveled to the northern continent. They hid in the forest for a week building catapults and siege weapons. The princess stood at the edge of the forest watching the kingdom that killed her beautiful aunt. she would make them pay dearly. Her husband walked by with food for his monkey and had a worried look on his face. he could feel hate radiating off of his wife. It was in the dead of night when the princess ordered the attack. The catapults sent fiery rocks into the city. The cries of the people instantaneous. The men held until the gates were broken then the elephants were released. an elephant came trampling by the princess and ever so delicately she jumps on the side with her scimitar out she was too into the batter to notice her tiger and husband were behind her. The elephant had broken into the ballroom in the palace. the elephant transformed back into the genie and went back into the lamp. the princess and her squad made their way to the throne room and it was empty. The princess was then blindsided as her husband was turned to ash and her tiger was flung across the room. She was now missing a leg and turning quickly into sand. The Queen laughed at the irony and her daughter stood behind her quietly. The daughter bent down and picked up the Genie’s lamp and smirked. The princess slowly died on the floor The Queen then put her remains in a hour glass. The rest of the fallen princess’s forces slowly dissolved and by the morning they were all dead.

The Frozen Princesses

Thirty seven years since the queen took over the original kingdom. Present day; Far up north two princesses fought for power. One controlled iced and the other had superior strength. The younger sister that was more popular and had strength was frozen and shattered and the older sister became queen. Her kingdom borders the kingdom that has consumed most of the world. She has beautifully, long, and dignified hair with glacier blue eyes. with skin the color of snow. Her nation was generally peaceful until more imperialistic nation attacked her nation. then, she has since wiped out the mermaids and waged war with the Queen. Gradually by taking more and more land and freezing it over the main kingdom has grown weaker. The final battle took place very quickly. the Queen walked in he throne room past the frozen guards and straight to the weakened queen. she grabbed her face and started to freeze her head. then shattered it. Soon after the domination was complete and eternal winter took place.

[sunkencastles7]

Aleiah

She woke up in a panic, as though pulled above the surface just seconds before drowning, her internalised screaming finally given a conscious voice. She let a long overdue wail of anguish rip through her raw throat until she ran out of breath to articulate her torment. Her fingers tightened into fists as she gripped the infirmary bed hard, the sharpened digits on her gauntlet tearing through the mattress with ease. The sheets were soaked in sweat and stained with blood and lymph that had long since congealed into the fabric. Alone inside the infirmary, only several of the lanterns along the walls remained lit to provide a dim illumination to the modest chamber. Across from her own bed, she could see where others had been treated the night before and left behind now-empty beds and discarded medical supplies. A roll of gauze had unravelled from its spool which now lay beneath a cabinet whose drawers were hastily crammed mostly-shut. Scuff marks and droplets of hardened blood decorated the stone floors, and indicated that whoever occupied the curtain-drawn bed near the half-elf's had many visitors throughout the night. A throbbing pang pulsated in her head like the rhythmic twinge of her weary mind as she steadily rose to a sitting position, her weak arms nearly buckling under the weight of propping her upper body up. She lifted two trembling fingers to press against her temple for all the good it would accomplish. But in place of comfort, she instead discovered fright. The breath left her body as the calloused pads of her fingers met no resistance, and sunk deep into a blistering cavity where her cheek once was. The sorceress' eyes widened and her pupils shrunk in terror as she was unable to pull her hand away, her body tense with frozen horror. Every touch felt as though her face still burned with fel fire, yet she could not stop herself from carefully and slowly tracing the exposed ligaments and shredded muscle of her mutilated face. She was silenced by her dread, too numb to even express the dismay she felt inside. With what little energy she could muster, the sorceress rose to her feet, staggering and stumbling at an enervated pace to depart from the infirmary. She wandered in her unbalanced stupor, bearing her weight against the walls for support as she found herself at a private room. She brought herself before the dirty mirror of the small boudoir, grabbing it by the wooden frame to stabilise her enfeebled posture. Her laboured breath heavy, the sorceress brought an uneasy hand to her face, eyes observing the hideously scorched flesh and mended patches of discoloured scar tissue on the surface of her palm as she turned it over. She glanced up, taking in the truth of her appearance in its entirety - no more glamours or cosmetic illusions to belie the nature of her most bare self. Dishevelled and matted hair caked in dirt and debris draped over her bruised, beaten shoulders. Her lips were thin and cracked and for the first time in decades, unpainted by a superficial enchantment. Dark circles framed her bloodshot eyes with deep purple hues and prominent veins visible just under the surface of her skin. The massive crater in her cheek revealed every subtle movement within her jaw - the flexing of tendons, the bulging and stretches of muscle, the secretion of saliva each time her tongue flattened inside her mouth. The half-elf stood before her truest form, expressionless, staring for a small eternity at the flaws she had long since disguised with her superior magic. Finally, the sorceress raised her hand once more and with a quick flourish of her wrist, she began her craft. The gaping hole in her cheek became smooth, sun-kissed skin, with nary a freckle to mar her flawless complexion. Her lips became fuller and softer in an instant, growing to the seductive plumpness most women would kill to have. A flirty shade of violet cosmetic faded into her eyelids, a black wing lining the bottom edge and extending to perfect length along her cheekbone. Rosy hues bloomed upon the apples of her sharp cheeks, presenting the illusion of flushed skin. Her raven tresses fell upon her shoulders, now glossy and sleek - not a hair out of place. Aleiah stepped back from the mirror, taking in her new visage. She turned her head slightly to one side, lifting her chin to examine the area where once a fissure was visible. She pressed two fingers tentatively against the illusioned flesh, watching it depress and plumpen like ordinary skin. Aleiah wrapped her fingers around the folds of her cowl, drawing it over her head. She took one final look at herself - no sense of satisfaction upon her face; no expression in the slightest. Wordlessly, she sulked back into the halls of the keep.

[liddellwittelsbach-blog]

5 Tips about honey face mask You Can Use Today

via steptoremedies.com and nutmeg honey face mask smells astounding and is effective wonders in fading acne scars and night out pores and skin discolorations! Let’s begin to see the skin advantages of the elements in this one: Blend strawberry, honey and cream for making an very hydrating face mask that may depart your skin moisturized and glowing! Synthetic Exfoliators often bring about your skin to go purple and may lead to discomfort. Say goodbye to the many inconvenience by just switching to honey as your exfoliator. click here can help exfoliate your face & pores and skin by gently removing the useless pores and skin cells. Warning: Do a patch take a look at 1st to check for any allergic response to gelatin. Also, never go away the mask for much too very long around the pores and skin as it's going to harden up and can be tricky to peel off. I also really like the graphics you put inside your hub! I think from the Supply link that you choose to built them on your own. Great position! https://steptoremedies.com/dry-skin-brushing-face/ to implement for pinterest. :) Of which, I think I am intending to pin this to my splendor board on Pinterest to implement for foreseeable future reference. You need to use honey as a house solution to brighten your skin complexion in the subsequent techniques: Mixing juice of 1 tomato which has a teaspoon of honey allows reduce tan marks, brighten skin complexion and do away with spots & blemishes. 2 times a week, therapeutic massage the combination over the face for five minutes and depart it to rest for another quarter-hour in advance of rinsing it off with tap water for sought after results. Increase one tsp honey to on the list of lemon halves. Full of balanced Extra fat and vitamin E, the nutritious avocado can help feed and lubricate withered pores and skin, providing it a supple look and feel. Honey is thought for being the most effective house treatments for treating burns. Honey encourages healing by reducing any inflammation and gives nourishment towards the broken tissues. This can be what will make honey a tremendous treatment for sunburns. For working with honey on sunburns: Mix a person portion Uncooked honey with two areas pure Aloe Vera gel. Apply gently to sunburnt pores and skin. Fights Acne & Pimples : Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory Houses that aids in not just from the elimination of excess oil in the surface on the skin but additionally clearing out any blockages or clogged pores, which if not handled could cause continuous breakage of acne and pimples over the pores and skin. Building in the face pack has become the simplest Do it yourself selfmade techniques to take care of the oily and acne inclined skin. Let us take a journey to acquire an notion of ways of preparing with the orange face mask for oily skin and acne. This articles is accurate and correct to the very best in the author’s knowledge and is not intended to substitute for official and individualized suggestions from a certified Expert. Clay masks are magnificent for controlling oily pores and skin. Honey helps split up excess oil and really absorbent clay eliminates it although gently exfoliating. Bentonite and Moroccan Pink are two of the best clay choices for balancing oily skin. Turmeric masks have a regular place in my beauty regimen — I do them the moment per week. They’ll go away a slight yellow hue over the skin, but that fades in about half an hour. If you observe residue once the thirty minute mark, you can soak a cotton ball with milk and go above People places. Visualize this mask to be a smoothie in your face: strawberries contain salicylic acid (which happens to be great for acne-inclined pores and skin), although lemon juice helps to tighten pores and take away outdated, useless skin cells. Pretty much concluded... We need to ensure your e-mail handle. To finish the subscription method, make sure you click on the url in the e-mail we just sent you.

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Do it on your own: Having a whisk, combine the spirulina powder and banana, then include the lemon juice. Apply for the face and depart on for ten to twenty minutes. Rinse with warm water. August two, 2014 at 8:19 pm Hello there! I\'m trying the redness-minimizing mask for rosacea - I\'ve only made use of a little bit on my face when compared to exactly what the recipe built, am i able to continue to keep it within the fridge for a couple of days to make use of yet again or do I really have to come up with a new combination anytime? I've my fingers crossed it really works! Thanks! Recommendations: It presents Great final results, but it does consider time to see them. When you don’t promptly see a change, don’t throw in the towel. You can’t assume benefits in just a day or two. Also, the mixture is most effective used when freshly created. Oatmeal is great for soothing tough, angry skin and for helping to heal eczema and acne breakouts. Paired with honey and yogurt, it’s a calming and revitalizing mask for all pores and skin kinds. Forget investing money and time at your neighborhood spa. Observe these uncomplicated recipes and pamper you with the proper handmade face mask. Melanin is responsible for your skin tone. watch little herbs channel from the skin, the lighter the pores and skin tone will be. Address oneself to a luxurious wax treatment method like they are doing in posh spas all over the world. Dip arms into warm wax then peel away leaving arms gentle and supple. Olive oil is known to moisturize the skin from inside. It is actually full of vitamins A, D, K and E. Vitamin A strengthens the collagen and improves the pores and skin’s elasticity; vitamin D encourages skin cell repair service, regrowth, and metabolism; vitamin K fights stretch marks or spider veins within the skin, and vitamin E smoothens the looks of good traces over the skin. Supply Olive oil moisturizes and is particularly infused with antioxidants; mayonnaise softens the skin when providing The entire shebang a rich, creamy texture. The lavender? diy face mask . Be certain that the mixture experienced no lumps, thoroughly clean the skin and utilize the mask, wash off just after 15 minutes. Treatment plans and Masks available out there at the moment are of the best buy and can Enjoy A serious purpose in influencing your Over-all look. Amazon India gives you several of the greatest pores and skin treatment products that can actively affect your grooming and help you obtain one of the most out of one's physical appearance and skin tone. Shop on the web at Amazon India to find the ideal remedies and masks. Get it done your self: Submerge the shells in ice for 15 to 20 minutes. Eliminate in the ice and slip the idea of the finger snugly into the slim mouth of every shell. insert yeast on the citrus, combine and use on your face, maintain the mask for twenty five minutes after which rinse with cool drinking water.

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Nicc work! I'm a Skin Therapist myself And that i do like to suggest several handmade pores and skin treatment goods for my consumers. However I do use a product line that works well much too. In addition to applying orange juice and peels on pores and skin, you are able to eat this fruit and its juice routinely to boost immunity, support in digestion, avert kidney stones, minimize Unwanted fat deposits, teat poor breath, lower blood pressure and cholesterol concentrations, and reduce the chances of establishing heart disease. Share In a small bowl, mash 2 to three ripe strawberries into a pulp. Stir within the honey right until you form a reasonably clean paste. Implement the combination onto your face in a delicate circular movement. Get it done by yourself: Which has a potato masher, mash the sugar and açai powder or slush Along with the berries, then little by little insert the olive oil; Incorporate coarsely by using a whisk. Massage into your face. Go away on for approximately five minutes, then rinse with heat drinking water. This apple & oatmeal face mask is perfect for all pores and skin kinds as it Carefully exfoliates although calming irritation and smoothing wrinkled patches. https://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Face-Masks-Correctly ’s what you’ll have to have. Yeast is a component of masks for your face - very powerfulSkin-care products and solutions. But if it is Incorrect to use them, you are able to put yourself and damage. For that reason recommends healingandbodywork acquainted which has a several helpful recommendations: In advance of preparing a mask from yeast, check the expiration date of many of the components. • Just rubbing clean orange peel on your own face aids lighten pores and skin colour. Furthermore, it tightens the pores and skin and enhances the texture. Coffee is don't just a favorite beverage. It's also a favourite component of lavish pores and skin treatment solutions. You will find myriads of benefits of utilizing coffee for pores and skin treatment. It is usually employed for producing system scrubs. By mechanically exfoliating the pores and skin, the coffee scrubs make the skin smooth and comfortable and improves complexion. Fatty acids in substantial doses, like those located in açai berries, manage to overcome hyperpigmentation, In line with a 2010 paper posted while in the Journal of Medicine in Dermatology It is best to toss it out immediately after use. Considering that These are built with pure substances, microorganisms can certainly kind and allow it to be go negative rapidly. To help make powdered orange peel, just conserve up orange peels in the natural oranges you consume, get rid of the white fribrous sections on The within from the peel, and clean them in heat distilled drinking water. Be gentle with the skin when applying. Carefully use a thick coat. Never rub it harshly on your skin as this could lead to the skin to become red and Ugly. For mask recipes that demand honey, vegans can possibly substitute a little bit of pureed banana, or simply omit it. When it’s time to clean the mask off, you'll want to put a strainer in the sink or shower drain to catch large particles: you don’t wish to clog your drains. I utilized to do the yeast mask until finally I used to be eighteen (my mom advised me about it). Then I began employing shop purchased masks and creams and forgot about The easy yeast.

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A Different Tail Chapter 7: Reconnaissance

Fanfiction.net

2 years ago

"Elfman… please, snap out it." Mirajane wheezed, the eldest Strauss along with her siblings, Natsu and Happy had encountered the Beast, a gigantic creature that stood taller than the guild hall, cloaked in darkness with its only distinguishable features being its jagged teeth, mane of white fur and the intimidating purple eyes. It had already caused some destruction to a nearby town, Mira had instructed Lisanna to search for and evacuate survivors while she, Elfman and Natsu tried to deal with it.

Elfman had come up with the idea to take the creature over, thereby both subduing it and adding a new power to his arsenal. For a brief moment it had worked, the colossus had come under Elfman's total control but then, it fought back dominating the second-oldest Strauss in a sheer battle of will. Now neither Mirajane nor Natsu could afford to go all out without seriously injuring Elfman.

That had been several hours ago and both the eldest Strauss and the Dragon Slayer were exhausted, though Natsu was much more worse for wear than she was, being barely conscious and even Happy wasn't completely unscathed having received a black eye in his own courageous but ultimately futile attempt to assist them, "Guys!" Lisanna's voice rang out as she descended to meet them in her Bird Soul, changing back to normal once she touched down, "I evacuated everyone I could, just like you said." She informed them as she acted as a support for her sister.

"Run Lisanna." Mira stated, "Elfman tried to help out by taking it over but he couldn't remain in control, we can't beat him."

"That's Elfman?" Lisanna questioned, instead of listening to her older sister and running, Lisanna did the complete opposite and began to walk towards him. The Beast regarded her with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

"What are you doing? Get away from him!" Mira begged, though her little sister continued walking forwards.

"Hey Elfman, it's Lisanna." She spoke up, the Beast giving a tilt of its head. The youngest Strauss seemed to think she was getting through to him, so she continued, "I'm your little sister, your big sister Mirajane is here too, so are your friends, Natsu and Happy." The Beast merely grunted in indifference, "We promise we're not mad at you, so how about we all just go home, yeah?" She asked as she reached her arms out to either side as if expecting to hug her elder brother.

The Beast didn't see a young woman asking for her brother, it snarled in rage as it took Lisanna's stance as a challenge and raised its right arm high above its head. The animal take-over mage seemed completely oblivious to the mortal danger she was in. Natsu however, was not.

The Dragon Slayer stood himself up and despite a shaky start, ran towards Lisanna as the creature gave one final bellow, ignoring the burning pain of his muscles as they begged him to stop. The Beast swung its arm just as Natsu reached his childhood friend, pushing her out of the path of the clawed hand. The fire-user unfortunately, couldn't avoid the swipe and was struck by the palm of the Beast's hand, sending him sprawling.

"Natsu!" Lisanna screamed as she ran over to her fallen friend, Happy joining her to see if there was anything he could do to help.

The monster let out another threatening roar and looked ready to pounce on its prey that had narrowly escaped death as well as her comrades. However, a small rock struck it in the face just below its right eye, a minor nuisance at best but it was still enough to turn its attention to a standing but shaking Mirajane, "Get away from them." She panted, trying her best to sound threatening but ultimately failing as the Beast roared once again and began making its way over to her, its footsteps shaking the ground, "At least this should buy them time." Mira mumbled to herself, closing her eyes in acceptance, being too tired to run or fight back. The footfalls came to a stop, she didn't need to open her eyes to know that the Beast was now beginning to raise its arm once more.

The blow never came or rather, it was reflected by three magic circles that joined together to shield Mirajane from the attack. The Beast's mixed growl of anger and confusion was what prompted the eldest Strauss to open her eyes once more.

"Three Layer Magic Circle: Mirror Water." A new voice spoke up. It was a man garbed in a black cloak with bandages tied around his calves and forearms, his facial features obscured by a bandanna and headband. Numerous staves were strapped to his back.

"Mystogan? What are you doing here?" Mirajane asked in a questioning tone, she knew very little of the enigmatic member of the guild aside from the fact that he was a rising star despite having joined barely a year ago. As an S-Class mage she was also privy to information such as who would likely be chosen for the next annual S-Class exams, with Mystogan being on top of the list of candidates.

"I was in the area," He answered cryptically, "You two." He continued, pointing one of his staves at Lisanna and Happy, "Take your friend and Mirajane into those woods, don't stop until you reach a clearing where survivors from the town have started to set up a temporary shelter, the doctor there should be able to patch them up."

Happy seemed a little unsure but he was aware Natsu would need urgent medical attention so despite his own exhaustion he picked his friend up and flew off in the direction Mystogan said the encampment would be. Meanwhile, Lisanna used herself as a frame to once more physically support Mirajane, "Don't hurt him, please," The eldest Strauss, "Elfman is still stuck in that thing's body, help him."

Mystogan gave a nod of understanding, prompting the two Strauss sisters to make haste to where Happy was flying overhead, having discovered their place of refuge. The Beast bellowed out a challenge to the newcomer, the potential S-Class turned, "I can't be too gentle, so I apologise in advance Elfman."

The Beast clearly didn't care for the wizard's warning and advanced, bringing its arm down, once again, Mystogan used Mirror Water once more to reflect the blow. The creature was now furious that its prey avoided evisceration again and attempted to sideswipe him, the staff-user dodged the blow but with Beast was becoming increasingly aggressive and wasn't allowing Mystogan a moment to use his magic, it was time for a risky retaliation. He planted his five staves into the ground as the Beast's arm was raised, "Skyscraper!" The Fairy Tail mage declared as the claws came down towards him, stopping just before they reached him. The Beast began looking around in confusion as it was propelled into the air, out of the atmosphere and into space. A tearing sound alerted the Beast to the presence of something else.

Two coal-black hands the size of the Beast seemed to be tearing through the very fabric of reality, soon the tear expanded to reveal a pair of glowing, red eyes and a mouth full of rows of jagged teeth twisted into a sinister, predatory grin. What was most intimidating was the sheer size of this new creature, its head alone was enough to dwarf the Beast in size and it was terrifying. The Beast used to be an apex predator but in the presence of this demonic entity that filled the very air around it with a feeling of dread, it was little more than a morsel. The sadistic smirk of the monster managed to widen even further to an almost unnatural extent before it leapt through the gap and straight towards the Beast, the newly-made prey animal only managed to scream in terror at the approaching horror.

All of it was an illusion, while the Beast believed it was under threat from something that was somehow higher than it in the food chain the reality was that Mystogan was placing all of his staves around it in a pentagon shape. It would take something stronger than Sacred Song to deal with the Beast, ten magic circles appeared above the incapacitated creature, "Ten Layer Magic Circle, Satellite Square: Etherion Alpha." An experimental attack to be sure but it wouldn't be even one twentieth the strength of the real weapon, at least it wouldn't kill Elfman but the potential S-Class couldn't guarantee the middle member of the Strauss family wouldn't feel immense fatigue after his ordeal. The beam of light struck down, snapping the Beast out of the illusion placed on it but subjecting it to the full brunt of the attack. After the beam dissipated, the Beast was revealed to be shaking before it stumbled back, creating a tremor as it landed against the ground, the creature's muscular frame glowing and decreasing in size soon after.

"After that, Mystogan carried me back to Mira and Lisanna and, a few weeks later Natsu made a full recovery, all he got was some scarring on his left side. Mira began taking less S-Class missions and flat out refused to take us on any unless we became S-Class. To this day, I'm grateful that Natsu came with us and Mystogan arrived when he did, otherwise I don't think I could have forgiven myself if someone had died because of me." Elfman finished, he and Lucy were now on the train, waiting for it to depart. To put it lightly, the blonde was speechless and halfway through the story being told had summoned Plue for comfort, releasing the snowman-like spirit from the tight grip she had unknowingly been putting on him whilst being told the tale, "I understand, you know?" Elfman spoke up, "If… you're afraid of me after telling you this."

Lucy had to think for a moment to respond, "I'm not scared of you," The blonde finally spoke up, "And sure, you made a mistake that could have turned out a lot worse but it didn't. As things stand I've got no reason to be afraid of you." The middle Strauss's response was to give the blond an appreciative look, creating an air of content between the two new friends. Not a second later, the rest of their team entered the train, sitting down next to the two.

Mirajane seemed to sense the newfound camaraderie between the two, "Did something happen?" The eldest Strauss asked. Lucy gave a brief shake of her head.

"Nothing much." She replied.

Half an hour later

"So, who exactly are Eisenwald?" Lucy asked.

"A dark guild, one that specializes in assassination missions that were made illegal by the Council on request of the king a few years ago," Mirajane explained, "Their leader Erigor was known to exclusively take those kinds of missions, earning him the epithet 'The Reaper'. All that's currently known about him is that he rallied Eisenwald together with the promise of restoring their 'rights' to assassination missions."

"He sounds like a pretty scary guy…" Lucy commented, feeling somewhat sickly at the thought of someone actually loving the idea of killing.

"Maybe so but he's an idiot." Mirajane stated bluntly, the blonde gave a questioning look, prompting her senior to elaborate, "I don't entirely agree with the council but ever since the controlled guild system was instigated a little more than a century ago, Fiore has prided itself as a democratic mediator for some other nations, that means being entirely neutral. Now let's say assassination missions were still allowed and someone hires an assassin from a Fiore mage guild to kill a foreign dignitary in peace talks overseen by Fiore. The assassination is successful, what do you think happens?"

"Fiore loses its reliability as a mediator as the one who hired the assassin could have been close to the king," Lucy began, "It could also escalate further to political unrest and in an absolute worst case scenario… war."

"Bingo," Mira confirmed, "But if Eisenwald are really planning to get their hands on Lullaby, they must have a big target in mind."

"So, how many S-Class mages are there in the guild? Wouldn't it have made the most sense to send them all if Lullaby is so dangerous?" Lucy questioned.

"Well, that's the thing," Elfman spoke up, "Mira and Erza are really the only two S-classes who are present in the guild a lot. There are three more though, first there's Mystogan, who tends to travel and never tells anyone but master Makarov where he's going and what he's doing. Secondly, there's Laxus, a lightning mage who's as strong as he is arrogant, he never really bothers with the guild nowadays."

"Who's the third?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Gildarts," Natsu spoke up before Elfman could answer, in spite of still looking green around the gills. Yet despite the interruption, the tone of the dragon slayer's voice made it clear he held great admiration for the man, plus Elfman didn't seem to mind Natsu taking the helm to explain, "The strongest of us all and someone I'm going to beat." He added with a cocky grin, Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at that as Elfman, Mirajane and Happy playfully rolled their eyes at the fire-user.

"And you'll do it someday." Lisanna spoke up, re-joining with the group after scouting out the other train carriages in the very same form she has used to infiltrate Bora's party in Hargeon.

"You're getting really good at transformation, if I hadn't seen you do it I don't think I could have known it was you." Natsu commented.

"Thanks." Lisanna said, blushing lightly before her expression became more serious, "There are three people, two carriages ahead, I heard them discussing about Lullaby and getting off in Oshibana, so it's safe to say that they're part of Eisenwald."

"Good job Lis," Mira said, "Once we're in Oshibana, you'll follow them further, they should eventually go back to their guild hall and that's when we'll strike." Everyone present nodded, Lisanna sat back down next to her comrades, allowing Natsu to lay his head down on her lap to put up with his motion sickness. Now all the group had to was wait.

It had been some time since Erza had visited the shadier areas of Magnolia and despite its reputation locally, it was almost unknown to many tourists, well aside from those visiting on behalf of dark guilds and other organisations in Fiore's criminal underworld. Erza however was not here to lament about the presence of such groups, if you were the right person, one could get useful information from the seedy bars and the just as unsavoury patrons of said establishments. One bar in particular was Erza's current destination, The Ragged Flagon, identified by the overhanging wooden sign with a flagon with two ornate daggers going through it in a cross pattern. The Fairy Tail mage pushed the door open, walking into the dimly-lit ambiance of the tavern.

There were only three on the ground floor, Vekel, the bartender, a man of about thirty with brown, somewhat shaggy hair and a pencil moustache. Delvin, who was the oldest of the three, appearing to be in his late forties with a shaved head as well as a brown goatee. Finally, there was Vex, a pale-skinned young woman with white, shoulder-length hair. Vekel wore a typical bartender's outfit, brown shirt underneath a white apron. The other two wore matching outfits that were all black, consisting of a pair of fingerless gloves, a leather cuirass of sorts peppered with various sheaths and pockets, finally a simple pair of boots. These three were members of the independent guild, Nocturnal's Mark.

"Erza," Vekel greeted warily, "What can we do for you?"

"At ease Vekel," Erza began, "I'm not here to cause trouble for any of you." The group still looked unsure of the redhead's intentions but none of them protested as Erza walked closer.

"Well then, pull up a seat, have a drink." Delvin spoke up in a friendly tone in his thick, strange accent.

"I'm on a job," Erza stated, it was then that she noticed something about the tavern, a table had been flipped. Normally in a place like the Ragged Flagon bar fights were not uncommon, but that would more than likely be at night, not the daytime, "Something happen?"

Vex snorted at that, "Just some punk from a dark guild thinking he was too good for the Flagon's liquor, said something stupid like his guild was going to 'Change Fiore as we knew it' and that 'This watered down shit isn't good enough'. Dirge gave him a black eye for his trouble."

"Where is he anyway? I thought he was the bouncer?" The redhead questioned.

"He's in the back, the bastard who wrecked the place got a cheap shot in after Dirge punched him, some kind of shadow magic." Vekel explained.

"Then he ran for the door, quick as a flash, but he dropped some real odd-looking flute on his way out, a skull with three eyes on it. Must've been important, he looked like his arse was on fire when he turned back to get it." Delvin added, the older man must have noticed Erza's visible surprise as he continued, "And I'm guessing you're looking for that exact person and his flute?"

"What did he look like?" Erza sighed, knowing the bar patron had caught her and would likely ask for a hefty sum of money after revealing the information.

"Average height, black hair in a spiky pony-tail, white jacket with a high collar and a dark-red undershirt, that enough for you, luv?" Delvin asked.

"Plenty, thank you, Delvin," The Requip user replied, "How much do I owe?" Yet the old man surprised Erza with his next response, he held up his hand as if to indicate that the she had no need to worry as he chuckled.

"Seeing you beat up Vekel that one time is enough payment for a year as far as I'm concerned." The eldest of the group's remark earned a laugh in agreement from Vex and a scowl from the aforementioned bartender.

"I see, thank you." Erza finished politely and turned away.

"Why do you keep bringing that up?" She heard Vekel question in a clearly annoyed tone.

"Because, it's funny." Delvin replied with a shrug.

"I lost a tooth in that fist fight!" Vekel exclaimed.

"Well what did you expect going against someone with armoured gauntlets at fisticuffs?" Vex questioned him sarcastically.

"I was drunk, stupid and feeling pissed off, of course I was going to start a fight. You could have stopped me!" He tried to defend.

Erza smirked as she exited the Flagon, those three really were as thick as thieves.

"Do you see them?" Mira questioned her little sister as the group stepped off the train.

"I do." Lisanna said, still in her transformed state, "I'll come back to you guys know when I've found out where their base is, let's meet in the square." The youngest Strauss said, following the group of three men she had seen on the train discussing Lullaby. Always keeping them in sight but never getting too close, it was easy to follow the three as one wore a black and gold-striped headdress that looked more suited to a king than a dark guild member. Once they turned into a back alley, Lisanna glanced around, no one else was present in the street. Her body glowed, turning into the full-body version of her Cat Soul Take-Over, shrinking down into the form of a white house cat, began slinking over to the alleyway and hiding behind some boxes.

"Master Erigor might be mad at us for not coming back with Lullaby…" A heavyset man with dark-green hair said nervously.

"Yeah but you heard Kageyama, right Karacka?" A man with a square jaw and black pompadour asked, "The seal on Lullaby is taking longer to break than expected, Erigor might have a temper but he should know this sort of thing will take time."

The one in the headdress snorted in disbelief, "Yeah right Byard, I bet you one-hundred thousand jewel that that shadow bastard just told us that so he could get a free day in a better city."

"It shouldn't make a difference Rayule," Byard stated, "Doesn't matter when we get Lullaby, once we do, those guild masters are finished!" He said gleefully, earning a smirk from his two companions.

'Wait,' Lisanna thought, 'So their target is the guild masters conference in Clover Town?' She asked herself, trying to move slightly closer, unfortunately the wannabe pharaoh noticed her.

"Get out of here you mangy stray," He threatened, making a shooing motion with his hand. He then noticed an empty glass bottle, picked it up and then threw it at the disguised mage, "Go on, scram!" Lisanna hissed at him in response as the glass bottle shattered into shards of various sizes before running away.

'I am not mangy.' Lisanna internally grumbled to herself as she ran as quickly as she could towards Oshibana square. Even with the hustle and bustle of such an area, it didn't take her too long to locate her group, noticing Natsu's trademark scarf. She quickly scrambled up her friend and onto his shoulder.

"Well, looks like a little kitten has something to say to us." Mira said in a teasing, knowing tone.

"I found out something more, they plan on targeting the guild master conference in Clover Town tomorrow." Lisanna informed the group, their reactions to the news varied. Lucy looked nervous, Happy gulped in response and, Natsu and Elfman developed thoughtful scowls. Mira's however, was most surprising.

"Well, let's go stop them, shall we?" She asked in a sugary sweet tone and a just as sweet smile, it was almost… sickly. At that moment, the other five felt a cold shiver go down their spines as they realised Mira was full of unbridled, tranquil fury and it would not be pretty once the She-Devil chose to bare her claws, bringing her anger down on all of Eisenwald.

Without another word, Lisanna changed from a cat to a hawk and soared into the air, it was easy to spot the three Eisenwald members, once more thanks to the garish headdress of the one who tossed the bottle at her. Lisanna made a mental note to pay him back if she got the chance. Unbeknownst to those she was stalking, the Take-Over mage began circling overhead to indicate to her companions where the Eisenwald members were.

On the ground, the remaining five followed their little scout's direction, eventually leading them out of Oshibana and into a path surrounded on both sides by lush foliage. It was not long though before the peaceful atmosphere of the forest, bizarre considering they were hunting a dark guild, gave way to a much more oppressive one. Even the trees changed, all dead, stripped of their bark and not even dead leaves underneath them. At the end of the path was a looming, gothic-style mansion, even in the daytime the building seemed eerie.

As the five reached the entrance, they were joined by their sixth member, who promptly turned back into her regular human form. The group made their way down the hall lit by braziers on either side. A voice echoed down the hallway from a foreboding room at the end of it.

"So, Lullaby's seal has not yet been broken?" A sinister voice asked in annoyance.

"No, Master Erigor, we're sorry." Another voice replied nervously, Lisanna recognising it as the one called Karacka. The sound of something crashing and likely sticking into a wall as well as a terrified shriek temporarily stopped the group in their tracks.

"So long as Kageyama gives us the flute before the appointed time, it is alright." Erigor said.

"Thank you master." Karacka said.

"But be warned," The Reaper resumed ominously, "If he doesn't, it won't just be his head I'll see removed from his shoulders, are we clear, you three?"

There was an audible gulp from the three Eisenwald members before a meek response of, "Yes, master Erigor."

"Good," At that the Fairy Tail group began walking forward again, "This is it men!" The assassin continued, "A new day is dawning, one that spells the end of Fiore's government and our rise to power. Soon the guild masters of many of Fiore's most prominent guilds will be cold, and lifeless. When it is so, we will spit on the corpses of those hypocrites and laugh as the fools of the Council cower in fear. What we do is no different to soldiers, who are praised for killing, yet when we do it our rights to do so are taken from us? This will set an example to not just Fiore, but all of Ishgar!" Erigor finished, raising his scythe in the air after retrieving it from the wall and causing all of Eisenwald to erupt in cheers.

However, as the cheers died down, all the dark guild mages present noticed something, clapping. Not thunderous clapping to showcase support of the elimination of the guild masters but a slow, sarcastic clap that mocked such a decision. Every Eisenwald member present turned to the source of the clapping, Mirajane as she walked into the room.

"A bold plan," Mirajane admitted, "But pretty stupid since you just let several Fairy Tail mages follow you and waltz into your base. That and it all hinges on if Lullaby is as strong as you believe." She continued condescendingly as the other members of the team entered the room.

Erigor shot a glare at the three Eisenwald members, causing them to tense up, "I'll deal with you three later," He said before turning his leer to the FT members, "But you little flies were fools to come here, don't you know what we specialize in?" He asked with a twisted grin, lifting himself into the air as if he was completely weightless.

"How's he doing that?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Wind magic." Happy exclaimed, it was only slight but a breeze was gently wafting through his fur.

"And you believe that just six of you is all it will take to defeat Eisenwald? We easily outnumber you at least five to one." The statement from the Reaper riled up the other guild members.

"Pretty stupid if you ask me," Rayule said, "It's going to be a slaughter."

"Bring it on!" Elfman challenged.

"It'll be a slaughter alright, but not for us." Mira spoke confidently with a smirk.

Erigor also grinned, as if it was in approval, "You're quite bloodthirsty for legal guild mages, it matters little, I've no interest in an easy kill. If any of you fairy flies think you can take me on, then come and find me!" Suddenly, a much stronger gust picked up and Erigor flew over the heads of the six Fairy Tail members.

"That coward!" Natsu roared as he turned in the direction Erigor had flown only to then be forced to the ground after a blow to the back of his head. Rayule had pre-emptively struck Natsu and looked to be holding back his laughter as the dragon slayer shook off the attack.

"Not too impressive, but then again I didn't expect much from a Fairy Tail fly." He provoked as he ran down hall.

"I'm going after those two." Natsu growled as he shook the attack off.

"Go ahead." Mira prompted.

"Mind if I go with you Natsu?" Lisanna asked, "I owe the guy who got a cheap shot in some payback." Natsu nodded, the two friends along with Happy ran after the Eisenwald members.

"Elfman, go help them." Mirajane ordered as she notice Karacka disappear through a portal.

"Are you sure?" The younger Strauss asked in concern. Mirajane nodded and once again, showed that sickly sweet smile.

"It will be fine, Lucy and I are more than enough to handle these grunts." The eldest Strauss stated confidently.

"We are?" Lucy asked in meek surprise, seeing as they were now even more outnumbered than they would have been with the rest of the group. Unfortunately, the blonde's concerns were ignored in favour of Mirajane's next statement.

"Besides," She began as a dark aura engulfed her and quickly dissipated, she had undergone a drastic change. She now appeared to wear a somewhat-revealing, blood-red, one-piece swimsuit, her hands had now developed into 5-inch-long claws connected to armour-like skin, a stocky tail made of durable-looking scales had also emerged from her lower back. Her hair now permanently stood on end, her eyes remained blue but had lost all features, except for the pupils, and thin, crack-like scar appeared on her face, "I've been wanting to get some exercise for a while now!" She declared in a deeper voice as a pair of large, bat-like wings grew from her upper back, Elfman immediately heeded his sister's words.

Lucy stared in awe at Mirajane's transformation and the sheer power she was radiating gave the celestial wizard confidence though given the sheer number of Eisenwald mages, she was still fairly nervous about the potential outcome of the fight.

"You girls might be cute, but I don't appreciate you looking down on us." Byard said, charging up his magic that manifested as yellow light that encased his fists, "Let's get them!"

As the other three with Happy in tow charged down the hall they had entered from, Rayule became more visible, simply standing to the block their path. The Eisenwald member held his hands out, black tendrils shot from the ring-like accessories, the four got ready to dodge in case of a forthcoming attack. Instead, the lines went straight down and rebounded back up to the ceiling, creating vertical bar-like structures. The group stopped in their tracks.

"Sucks to be you three, Erigor knew at least a few of you would follow him, we just didn't expect it to be most of you." The dark mage declared boastfully, next to Natsu, a portal opened up. Emerging from it just as quickly as the gateway itself, Byard leapt out with a dagger in hand, aiming to stab Natsu in the neck. The ambush would have worked, had Elfman not turned his left arm into that of Beast Soul: Iron Bull and got in between the knife and its intended target. The dagger harmlessly rebounded off the thick metallic hide and Karacka grabbed onto Elfman.

"I was going to grab the pink guy but you'll have to do." The portal-user said, pulling Elfman into his creation with him. The middle Strauss offered no resistance as he was pulled into it.

Rayule cocked an eyebrow at the lack of reaction from the other to, "What you two don't care what happens to your buddy? That's pretty cold for a couple of legal guild members." His face fell in disappointment at not being able to get a rise out of the two and registered surprise as Natsu laughed at him.

"If you think we're scared of what happens to Elfman then you're an idiot, because he's not going to go down to some random member." Natsu stated.

"Hmph," Rayule grunted, "Still doesn't matter, you two are still stuck on the other side and either me or Karacka can pick you off whenever we feel like it."

"Oh, really?" Lisanna asked rhetorically as her body glowed and changed into that of the cat form she had used previously, slipping through the bars with ease.

"Wait wha-?!" Rayule exclaimed before Lisanna's body glowed once more, turning into the partial form of her Cat Soul and landing a punch square to Rayule's face, dispelling the makeshift barrier.

"Let's go Happy!" Natsu declared, aiming to catch up to Erigor.

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed, picking his friend up and flying past Rayule.

Meanwhile, said Eisenwald member got up, gritting his teeth as he clutched his broken nose, "You bitch!" He spat at the confidently-smirking Lisanna.

"Not bad for a mangy stray, right?" Lisanna questioned, loving Rayule's surprise turn to shock.

"That was you?!" Rayule asked through gritted teeth as he began to shake in anger, readying his magic once again, "Time to put you down like the stray you are!"

"Happy, make a sharp right," Natsu ordered, "That's where Erigor's scent is coming from."

"Aye sir." Happy said as he flew Natsu up a path that went further into the dead forest. Eventually, the two arrived at a clearing, surrounded by dense fog.

"This is where it ends." Natsu explained.

"Yeah, but where's Erigor?" Happy asked as he looked around nervously.

"So, the only one who comes to challenge me, is one measly fly and his pet cat?" Erigor's mocking voice asked from the fog, a powerful blast of wind dispersed the mist, revealing the Surroundings that were peppered with makeshift, but poorly-maintained crosses. The Eisenwald leader was hovering on the duo's level. A sadistic grin from the Eisenwald leader was succeeded by his next remark, "Welcome to my graveyard, I'm sure you'll make a fine addition to the contracts buried here."

"You can try," Natsu said as his fists ignited, “Let’s see if you can take down a dragon!

Erza had begun wandering throughout Magnolia, looking for anyone matching the description given to her by Delvin. It was by sheer chance that she was walking to a masseuse and a man fitting it walked right out in front of her. Thinking quickly, she stepped into an alleyway.

"Man that felt great!" The man muttered to himself in satisfaction, "I get to spend a day in Magnolia and tomorrow, Lullaby will make Eisenwald the best guild in Fiore, it's a win-win for me."

Erza had heard enough, it was time to act, she summoned a sword to her hand. Revealing herself from her hiding spot and held the tip of the sword to his throat. The man looked surprised but quickly composed himself and put his hands up in a surrender gesture, "Now what can I do for a beautiful woman like you?" He asked in a suave tone.

"Cut the crap," Erza stated, "You're a member of Eisenwald and I know you're in possession of Lullaby, I suggest you hand it over."

"Not going to happen." Kageyama said, quite literally sinking into the ground and appearing several feet away from the Fairy Tail mage. Erza jumped back, aiming to put distance between herself and the man in the event that he had surprises in store, "If you want Lullaby so badly…" The shadow user said as his own shadow split into several sections, each sharpening to a point, "Come and take it from me!"

Unbeknownst to either of the two combatants, the three purple eyes of the flute began glowing a bright purple colour…

A/N: And roll credits! First chapter of 2018! Sorry I meant to update on Christmas but life just got in the way. Anyway, it should also be worth noting that I don't own Vekel, Delvin, Vex or Dirge, those characters actually belong to Bethesda Softworks and are from the game ES5: Skyrim. I did come up with the name Nocturnal's Mark for them and rest assured, they will appear again, I can't promise it will be too often, but I happen to like the idea of using the Thieves Guild characters to fill in certain potential roles in the series I feel were either overlooked or just not implemented at all. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you guys have a great 2018!

[liddellwittelsbach-blog]

Everything about honey face mask

Mix it with honey, coconut product and avocado, and you've got a splendidly creamy concoction that simply glides onto your face. Apply a delicate layer, depart it on for 10 minutes and gently rinse it off. Plus, it smells incredible and you'll be wanting to set aside some leftover cocoa nibs to nibble on. Lemon juice also acts for a normal bleaching agent and astringent to get rid of blackheads and limit the appearance of one's pores. Though yogurt undercuts the oiliness of your skin and olive oil performs to nourish and restore its elasticity. These Do-it-yourself masks can operate miracles for a number of pores and skin difficulties—from dry, cracked cheeks and uninteresting foreheads to acne breakouts. Attempt to use natural components Every time attainable, as being the skin on your face is thinner than other aspects of Your entire body and will soak up toxins much more very easily. stepto remedies is a fantastic mask for dry, peeling and scaling pores and skin. The avocado and coconut oil give replenishing dampness, when the honey really helps to recover any chafed or raw areas. I had been doing a little analysis on working with honey for acne, and I discovered this post. get more info s a fascinating estimate: my Mate and i want to Have a very comforting facial mask afternoon any recommendations of which one is finest with in the following twenty mins I'm all for magnificence tips and really like elements that I have already got . I use coconut oil every day to keep my pores and skin hydrated but will Blend it with honey and avocado . Many thanks for many amazing strategies ! Egg white proteins work good on oily skin sorts for the reason that this ingredient tightens pores and zaps acne-triggering microbes. Whisk it with orange juice (a dose of vitamin C) and turmeric, an herb that has brightening Houses, to help even out your skin tone—but have on an aged T-shirt Because the powder can stain. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes and wash off the mask with h2o the moment It is really dried. Lemon offers the required dose of vitamin C During this pack. Take one tbsp of coffee powder, one tbsp of honey, and squeeze in some drops of lemon into it. Combine properly and implement on face and neck. Rinse off following half one hour. Utilize in your face and go away on for 10-15 minutes. For a more extreme dose of hydration, include a couple of teaspoons of virgin olive oil into your method, which quickly softens and smoothes pores and skin. These are typically seriously fascinating honey masks. I used to do honey and yogurt yrs ago and it worked great with my skin. I'll be sharing this excellent hub and passing it together! Hello cutie How are you presently all? now I'm about to share one of a really productive face mask for boring skin you require just number of essential substances for this mask A bit cinnamon oil can be used Using the coconut oil, but I'd personally only use a drop or two in a small jar of coconut oil–a lot more than which will burn off the pores and skin. Enable’s take a look at the powerful nutrients in raw honey for its nourishing Added benefits to pores and skin! Under, understand three diverse face masks you'll be able to Check out on your own at your home, Every with another advantage.

A Review Of coffee face mask

These are truly interesting honey masks. I used to do honey and yogurt decades back and it labored wonderful with my pores and skin. I will be sharing this wonderful hub and passing it alongside! acne and also other eruptions. https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Facial-Mask are battling inflammatory procedures inside the pores and skin. Superior assist and acne and comedones; with growing old skin. It will not make a difference exactly how much I vacation; practically nothing beats the enjoyment of the approaching trip. In a natural way, I devote so very long on the lookout forward to every weekend geta... For those who have any fungal or infectious conditions, which include herpes zoster, then create a mask from yeast will not be recommended; 4 tbsp. finely floor espresso or coffee beans (by now ground coffee and perhaps immediate coffee get the job done if you do not have your personal grinder) The caffeine content material may help decrease swelling and restore the skin's missing blush, brightness and vitality. The ground beans are excellent to scrub and scrub, when caffeine provides a tightening effect on your skin pores. Be sure to complete a patch check before you use any face pack, particularly when you have got delicate pores and skin. Have you ever tried a variation with the honey mask? What exactly are your favorite food stuff-primarily based substances to make use of on the skin? Comment below! A little cinnamon oil can be used While using the coconut oil, but I'd personally only use a drop or two in a small jar of coconut oil–over which can burn off the skin. Identical to coffee, cocoa also is a wonderful supply of antioxidants. Yogurt can be a organic supply of alpha hydroxy acid, a organic exfoliation compound that helps in breaking down the lifeless skin cells. For making the face mask, you will need 4 tablespoons of floor coffee beans, four tablespoons of cocoa powder and six to eight tablespoons of unflavored yogurt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facemask and lubricating agent. Coconut oil is blessed with healthful nutrients that nourish dry pores and skin. Say goodbye to flaky peeling pores and skin! Honey face masks will let you fade acne scars and even out skin discolouration, offering your vibrant and toned skin. Strawberry, a salacious brilliant pink and heart-shaped fruit, is cherished as considered one of A very powerful fruits, most effective known for the huge utilization of its flavour in ice creams, yogurt and sweets. But did you know that numerous cosmetics and skin treatment items use significant extracts from strawberries for the advantages they supply skin? This articles is exact and real to the top in the writer’s awareness and isn't intended to substitute for official and individualized information from a qualified Expert.

The best Side of honey face mask

Source Spread it evenly in your face and neck and take it easy for 20 minutes. Gently rub the combination whilst washing it off with water. This will help in taking away the dead pores and skin and brightens the complexion. Picture this mask as a smoothie in your face: strawberries have salicylic acid (that's perfect for acne-vulnerable pores and skin), even though lemon juice helps you to tighten pores and remove old, useless pores and skin cells. Resource The identical mask to generally be utilized not merely for the face and also on the other areas of the human body exactly where you will discover places, for instance, within the back or buttocks. Yeast mask for dry pores and skin Not merely that, we also have dressing combs, hair brushes, headbands, roller sets, wigs, hair clips and other equipment. Whether or not your hair is extensive or small, curly or straight, coloured or pure, it is possible to look through our number of professional hair treatment and styling appliances according to your unique requires. To finish off your seem, you may store on the net for hair styling products and solutions from a number of the leading haircare manufacturers. Go ahead and take guess workout of flaunting lovely hair, shop on the internet and find hair care need to-haves. Thank you for making your account on EverydayMe. This informative article or product has actually been extra in your favorites. The strength of the silicone pores and skin patch lies within the microclimate it produces involving the skin and also the patch. This microclimate does three vital factors: I've examine and take the privacy coverage Crimson Backlink to Media collects personalized data for internal use only. Underneath no circumstances will your information be transferred to third events devoid of your permission. Hello there :) i just did the lemon mask Using the strawberry And that i beloved it but how often can i utilize it? Day-to-day with any luck , But it really offered stellar exfoliation and revealed obvious, sleek pores and skin, albeit somewhat purple-tinged through the açai powder; practically nothing that a make-up wipe couldn’t repair. My pores ended up certainly undetectable, still my face didn’t truly feel the slightest bit tight.” I desire the particular Darling face mask by means of Chief Tresses Pores and skin shade therapies with their epidermis face cleaner. Really handy many thanks !! see right here my report mystery for flawless skin ... Ahead of using any of your masks, its finest to first test a little part of the mask onto your inner elbow or wrist to view if you could be allergic to it. Implement around the face and neck, and wash off following 5 to 10 minutes with any Mild face cleanser or rose drinking water. Attempt not to employ this on acne prone pores and skin but if you choose to do this then abide by it up by having an acne pores and skin face pack.

Facts About orange face mask Revealed

Should you have any fungal or infectious conditions, such as herpes zoster, then produce a mask from yeast is not encouraged; This really is utilised to collect facts on visitors to article content and various webpages on our website. Unless of course you will be signed in to the HubPages account, all Individually identifiable information and facts is anonymized. This is a superb mask for dry, peeling and scaling skin. The avocado and coconut oil give replenishing moisture, whilst the honey really helps to heal any chafed or Uncooked spots. There are various face masks recipes from yeast with many different accent components. Pick the kinds that are perfect for your skin style. Take into account that yeast is especially superior mask for oily pores and skin and for skin inflammation. Consider these substances in a single bowl and up coming grind them well in a single meals processor. Assure it receives transformed into a person good paste. Rinse it off with lukewarm h2o, and apply a toner. If you don't Have got a toner, just use lemon juice or a combination of 1 part apple cider vinegar and two elements distilled water. You can use this acne face mask almost day by day. Turmeric masks have an everyday area in my elegance routine — I do them once a week. They’ll go away a slight yellow hue over the skin, but that fades in about half an hour. Should you discover residue following the 30 minute mark, you could soak a cotton ball with milk and go above People parts. > Peeling pads absolutely are a new trend In relation to chemical exfoliation. I am nevertheless to check out this style of skincare, so far I have experimented with an item from Shea Moisture which I loved applying. On this submit, I am reviewing Method So Thoroughly Clean Anti Blemish Pads. Read more For additional information on this products. Mash these strawberries and up coming add the honey and product. Mix this till you have a easy furthermore uniform material. SiO Attractiveness Raise series patches are available five specifically-developed shapes to help you target the issues spots with your face, neck, and upper body. Virtually completed... We have to confirm your e-mail handle. To complete the membership method, be sure to click on the hyperlink in the email we just sent you. To open up your pores, you can also have a quick splash with warm h2o as an alternative to steaming. Orange peel face mask is an extremely effective in focusing on challenges such as blackheads, acne, clogged pores, uninteresting pores and skin and oiliness. Nonetheless, prior to deciding to make an orange peel face pack, it’s vital that you initially learn the way to help make orange peel powder. mask should be applied on thoroughly clean skin from the face and maintain for 20 minutes, then rinse less than managing drinking water.

The strawberry face mask Diaries

three. Clean off this organic face mask making use of cold drinking water by gently massaging in clockwise moreover anti-clockwise Instructions. Allow the mask around the face for around fifteen minutes and after that clean your face well employing warm drinking water. Turmeric masks have an everyday spot in my beauty program — I do them the moment a week. They’ll leave a slight yellow hue over the skin, but that fades in about half-hour. Should you recognize residue once the 30 moment mark, it is possible to soak a cotton ball with milk and go in excess of those regions. Although it may well not generally be feasible, test utilizing all organic and natural substances. The a lot less synthetic chemical compounds the better! Orange peel has pure bleaching properties which allows lighten places. Honey has powerful antiseptic, antibacterial and moisturising properties which hydrate and nourish the pores and skin. You may as well try out these property remedies to remove blemishes. A strawberry face mask will make the skin glow in addition appear lovely, and really helps to get rid of acne and acne scars. This face mask is ideal for oily skin. Carefully use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jErRPU56i5A around the face utilizing a sanitized brush or clear hands, avoiding the attention space. Do not forget that summer when subjected to significant temperatures the yeast fast lose their beneficial Attributes. Egg White Face Masks—Egg whites are known for their capability to tone massive pores and minimize extra sebum, creating them perfect for those with naturally oily pores and skin. Orange peel is finest used in a powder form. And for that you just first ought to dry the peel beneath the sun and powder it. You'll be able to shop this in an air restricted container for the next six months and utilize it to generate fresh new face packs. Mix it with other foundation substances for contemporary, younger hunting, very clear pores and skin. This is certainly an enhancement over the conventional Aloe Vera Honey Mask for your treatment of acne and it might tremendously increase the effects. Now that you have your orange peel powder, Listed below are 3 face mask recipes that will enable you to experience their Advantages: That is used to identify specific browsers or gadgets in the event the entry the provider, which is utilized for protection good reasons. All information and facts is supplied on an as-is basis. The knowledge, details or thoughts appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not believe any responsibility or liability for a similar.