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higuchimon · 3 years ago

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[fanfic] Attempt To Stop

One single card. That would be all that it took. He regarded it carefully; it wasn't an invulnerable card, but it would lock Haou down to the point that other cards could be used to defeat him. It would all depend on what he drew - and if he drew it in time. Like any duel against Haou, it would risk the life of whoever tried it.

If I don't, then there's not going to be anything that can stop him. Haou needed to be stopped. He'd arrived in that world a scant handful of cycles of the comet earlier, and in that span of time, he'd established himself as a powerful warlord. He'd crushed the will of Brron's army and bent it to his own. Inhabitants of towns fled away from his approach and some of the more powerful warlords were considering pledging their loyalty to him - or so the rumors said.

"He's coming," a quiet voice spoke, and he looked up. "Are you going to fight or flee?"

"Fight." The one known as Marauding Captain to humans declared. "What about you?"

Slowly she shook her head. "I need to protect those who I can. If the others don't have someone to watch their back, then they're going to die."

He knew she was right. The warrior who defended others was no less of a warrior than the one who strode out onto the battlefield. He crossed over to embrace her gently. "Then I'll see you again - either afterwards or in the afterlife."

"If there is such a place for those who fall against him," she replied quietly, leaning her head against him, wings enfolding around him. "Be careful. Strike wisely, Tenoch."

He nodded slightly, enjoying the scent of her hair before she stepped aside. "Travel well, my old friend."

She turned, spread her wings, and leaped into the air, soaring quickly out of sight. He might have time enough to distract Haou's army, but he couldn't be certain. All he could do was try his very best.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The walls shattered under the assault of Haou's army, and the first few of his soldiers strode inside. Tenoch stood in the center of town, arms crossed over his chest, his duel disk on his wrist, eyes flicking from one warrior to another. He knew that Haou didn't always duel, so he would have to find a way to challenge him before one of the others struck at him.

He needn't have worried. Five strong monsters - these must have been the Death Duelists that he'd heard tell of - strode forward, each of them regarding him as if he weren't much more than a bug to be stepped on. He didn't know them personally but he'd seen their cards before over the years. Guardian Baou gave him a dismissive glance, turning back to look at something behind him. Chaos Sorcerer also turned back, and both of them bowed low and humbly.

"Haou-sama," Chaos Sorcerer declared, his voice clear and loud. "There is only one person left here. He does appear to be a warrior. But I can send a scout to find the others."

"Do so."

Tenoch shivered at the sound of that voice. Chills ratcheted through him and he rallied himself as he stepped forward one careful step at a time. "I might be the only person here, but you will not destroy what's been left behind. I will defeat you, Haou, and there's no one who can prevent this."

There was a single moment of absolute silence, then Guardian Baou snickered. "I could kill you in a moment," he declared. "What makes you think that you're worthy of standing against Haou-sama?"

"Because I have a card that's capable of halting Haou in his tracks," Tenoch assured them. "And I'm going to do it. I am Tenoch, defender of this town, and the one who is going to defeat Haou!"

Chaos Sorcerer and Skull Bishop both started to move forward, but stopped at a single gesture from Haou as he moved past them. "Let him make the attempt," Haou told them. "If he is capable then he will survive. If he is not -"

He didn't need to finish it. Tenoch knew what hadn't been said - that if he wasn't capable, then he would fall. He would be as dead as so many others.

Haou lifted his visor and cold golden eyes stared at him. His face was that of a young man, perhaps not yet twenty, but his demeanor that of someone who had killed often and ruthlessly. Tenoch knew about that from all the tales that floated around in regard to him.. That had done nothing to prepare him for seeing this in person.

Regardless, he started to shuffle his deck. He could only hope that his deck would answer his call and bring this reign of evil to an end.

Haou had to admit he was more than a little curious as to what this person thought he could do to stop him. He'd not at all be the first person that thought they could accomplish the task. He'd faced so many others, and every time they failed. He wasn't arrogant enough to think that he could never be defeated but he didn't think that this person was the one who could do it. But he would allow them the chance to try.

They shuffled and he allowed his opponent to take the first turn. This warrior - Marauding Captain - would need all the help that he could get. Haou watched as the other set a single card face-down and then summoned Spirit Reaper to defend himself. It wasn’t a very powerful monster and Haou had any number of servants capable of dispatching it swiftly.

He regarded his own cards for a moment. The first breath of his strategy suggested itself. He wasn’t going to use Adjused Gold right now, though the effect could be useful. But he already had Dark Fusion in his hand and he refused to rush matters.

“I activate Dark Fusion from my hand, fusing Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental hero Clayman to Fusion Summon Evil Hero Lightning Golem!” The plan was simple; he would use Lightning Golem’s effect to destroy Spirit Reaper and then inflict twenty-four hundred points of damage. Not enough for a one-turn kill but it would certainly set the other back quite a bit.

If he summoned Adjused Gold, then he’d be able to finish the duel right then and there but he hadn’t forgotten that his opponent had that face down card. Best not to risk too much, even against such a weak opponent.

He began to raise one hand to point to Spirit Reaper, but his opponent shook his head right away.

“Not going to let you do that. I activate Anti-Fusion Device! It destroys one Fusion monster on the field – and you’re the only one who has any Fusion monsters!”

A sphere appeared on the field, glowing faintly. Energy swept out from it and wrapped around Lightning Golem, causing it to shimmer briefly before exploding into a spray of sparks and light.

His opponent smirked. “Not even your Fusion monsters can stand up to Anti-Fusion Device. Is there anything else that you can do?”

Haou wasn’t fond of being taunted. He would finish this duel as quickly as possible for that alone. For a moment he was tempted to use Adjused Gold’s effect, but he held back regardless. He wanted to see what else his opponent could manage.

“That’s not the only card I have that can destroy your Fusions,” the opponent warned him. “You’re going to be defeated – and you’re going to die.”

Guardian Baou snorted. “If that’s all you think you can do, then you’re wrong. Haou-sama will win this duel.”

Haou silenced his servant with a flick of one hand. He had two other monsters that he could summon, but he refused to do so right now. He held no fear that this opponent could defeat him before he had the chance to turn it all around.

“I end my turn.” He declared, and watched to see what happened next. Tenoch drew his card for the turn, then nodded to himself.

“I won’t let you Fusion Summon, but I can. I Fusion Summon Nightmare-Riding Ghost!”

From the whirl of Fusion there stepped a horse of cold blue flames, wrapped in bandages, and with a creature garbed in a violet robe on its back, wielding a scythe.

“Nightmare-Riding Ghost receives the effects of both Spirit Reaper and Nightmare Horse,” Tenoch announced. “Not only can it attack directly, but when it does, you will discard a card randomly.

"But it only has eight hundred attack," Skull Bishop pointed out. "That's less than the effect of a pebble against our Haou-sama."

Tenoch sneered. "I'm not done yet. First I equip Amethyst to Nightmare-Riding Ghost - that increases the attack by three hundred points."

A warm violet glow enhanced the monster. Tenoch hadn't finished, though. He had two more cards in his hand. "I also equip Daemon's Axe to Nightmare-Riding Ghost, increasing the attack by a thousand!" Fierce, proud eyes gleamed sharply. "And lastly, I summon Immortal Ruler!"

Demon King of the Underworld, Ha Death himself knelt before Haou on a regular basis. This Immortal Ruler seemed to be kin to him. Haou made a mental note to speak to his servant about this once he returned to the castle. It was a powerful creature, that was for certain, but there seemed to be no awareness in its eyes. Whatever else this was, it didn't have the spirit of the monster in it.

"Now! Nightmare-Riding Ghost! Attack Haou directly! Immortal Ruler, you as well!"

Nightmare-Riding Ghost surged forward, slicing both ax and scythe. Perhaps if he hadn't worn his armor, it might have hurt a great deal more than it did. Immortal Ruler raised gray hands and blasted a twisted pool of energy from them, coursing all over Haou. When the attacks ended, Tenoch smirked.

"You only have a hundred life points, and my Nightmare-Riding Ghost can attack you directly no matter what you do. You're going to die on your next turn." He nodded smugly, arms crossed, pleased with himself. "Now, discard a card!"

Haou did so casually, a single flick of a particular card into his graveyard. Tenoch could not possibly have looked prouder of himself. I end my turn."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Skilled White Magician warned him. Haou focused on his duel; his servants knew better than to interfere beyond baseless words.

As he'd suspected, he had virtually everything in his hand ready to bring about his victory. It was time to end this – on his own terms and no others.

"Because of you, I now have Evil Hero Sinister Necrom in my graveyard," Haou said as he drew his card for the turn. "By Sinister Necrom's effect, I summon Evil Hero Malicious Edge to the field." Before him the monster appeared, laughing softly, long nails gleaming in the sapphire light of the comet. "Now, I discard Evil Hero Adjused Gold, and by doing so I add Dark Fusion from my deck to my hand."

With every word that he spoke, he could see fear mounting in his opponent's features. As well it should be. Then the other shook his head.

"But you don't have anything to Fuse with it. It's useless!"

"Nothing is useless in my deck," Haou countered calmly. "But you're also very wrong. First, I activate Dark Fusion, fusing Evil Hero Malicious Edge and Evil Hero Hell Brat - summoning Evil Hero Malicious Bane!"

Malicious Edge and Hell Brat wrapped around one another, and what emerged from the deep pool of shadows greatly resembled a much stronger Malicious Edge. This one, however, had sharp-edged wings, equally long and sharp claws mounted on the back of his hands, and a long scaled tail. As he appeared, Malicious Bane let out a fierce, earth-shaking roar, before bowing low to Haou.

He'd never summoned Malicious Bane before. It wasn't one that he found a use for often. But now was different. He’d never seen so much awareness in a monster’s eyes – not since Neos.

But he didn’t dwell on this. A duel needed to be finished. "By Malicious Bane's effect, all monsters on your side of the field whose attack is outstripped by Malicious Bane are now destroyed, and Malicious Bane gains two hundred more attack points for each one destroyed in this fashion!"

Malicious Bane roared even louder, long scaled tail lashing, and reached out with sharp clawed hands that closed around both opposing monsters, shattering them into nothingness. Another roar marked the increase in attack strength, and the opponent stepped back, fear rising even higher and deeper. Haou smiled a tiny pleased smile.

"That isn't all. I summon Evil Hero Hell Gainer." This was why he'd not used Hell Gainer for fodder for Malicious Bane. He wanted that strength of that monster at his side. "Now, Malicious Bane, Hell Gainer, finish this fool."

His opponent - Haou didn't even remember their name - didn't even have time to properly scream before it was all over. Haou almost regretted that. Those who strove so hard should at least be given the chance to regret their decisions when they fell. He’d fought very well and he’d done enough damage that under other circumstances, Haou might have worried over his chances of victory. But it hadn’t been enough. Something like that would never be enough.

As the opponent faded away, Haou turned towards his waiting Death Duelists. "Find the ones that lived here. You know what to do."

All five of them bowed respectfully before him and dispersed to hunt down those who'd fled. Haou tucked his deck back into the holder, letting his armored fingers rest on it briefly before beginning to search the area himself for any sign of the Gem Beast deck. He didn't think that he would find anything here, but he searched, as he always did.

If you wanted something done right, you needed to do it yourself. Along with those servants that he would always trust the most – those who lived in his deck.

The End

Notes: Okay, I am so behind on my GX month fics but I am striving to get finished by the end of September. I do wish we had seen Malicious Bane in GX, but I don’t think it existed then.

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo gx #gxmonth2021 #yuuki juudai #haou #death duelists #maurading captain

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su-homebroken-au · 5 years ago

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Homebroken Chapter 6

Homeworld was a buzz with the news of Pink Diamond's return. Gems whispered and wondered when they would see her again. With her loss, Homeworld had become void of the chaos that she brought with her.

While the aristocrats and gems who found themselves above such nonsense did not miss that part of her, many other gems missed the life she brought to the otherwise desolate Homeworld. Each victory brought cheer before her 'shattering', but now it was a hollow chore completed for the good of their empire.

Now with her return, there was a true excited buzz in the air. There was wonder in the eyes of Era 2 gems, who had only heard of her radiant personality from the gems who had known of her. They all wondered when she would make an appearance, when the ballroom would be opened once more with celebration in mind.

Such a buzz was bound to reach her fellow Diamonds eventually.

"Oh everyone is so thrilled to know she has returned." Blue lamented with a smile, Yellow rubbed her temples with a sigh. It was a rare moment that they would be able to accompany each other in their tasks, and she wasn't looking forward to this conversation.

"Yes well, you know they won't be seeing her until her organic has given up." Yellow reminded, entering in data into a yellow screen. She sighed, staring at the endless amounts of information that she needed to sort through. "Though that won't be happening any time soon, since you contacted the Zoo to bring supplies and appropriate guards.."

"Yellow this organic matters to her, I want it to be as happy as possible." A gentle hand is placed on her shoulder and she smiled encouragingly. "I've asked for an Observation orb to be crafted especially to view Earth?"

That forced Yellow from her task.

"In what galaxy made you think that was a good idea?" She hissed, twisting to glare at Blue. The thought of letting Pink hold onto that planet, continuing to obsessive over the pathetic thing was a terrible idea in her opinion.

"It would give her guards a better understanding on how to care for her organic!" Blue protested, shaking her head. She folded her arms, easily towering over her fellow Diamond due to her sitting position. "White knows, Yellow. It's not like I'm doing anything bad."

"Why would White care?" There's a slight twinge of jealousy that sparked in Yellow's mind, annoyed that the two Diamonds were humouring their own for a failed attempt.

"She knows that it will be easier to care of an organic, having a view of its natural habitat." Blue concluded, her arms dropping so she could fold her hands in front of herself. She resumed an elegant stance, and Yellow is momentarily jealous of her ability to seemingly move past all of this. "From my brief viewing of the planet, a lot has changed. I doubt it would be optimally happy in the Zoo, it would not replicate the environment accurately."

"And you think it being here will replicate the environment adequately?"

"We need to keep Pink safe as well. It would be better for the remain here under our combined supervision." Yellow sighed at this, she found that she simply lacked the strength to continue the debate.

As if sensing Yellow's frustration, she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder once more and rubbed it soothingly.

"Everything will soon be, as it's meant to be."

"Yes." Yellow agreed. "You're right, as usual."

Blue smiled at her, then turned her attention back to the screen before them. "Now, what was it that you needed my gems for?"

"I hope there is an appropriate environment to be able to grow this fruit at."

"Aw chill out, I brought loads of tech stuff. I'm sure we can work it out!"

Two gems made their way down the halls, their destination being Pink Diamond's chamber. The first was a Rose Quartz, a gem who is finally able to exist outside of a bubble prison and is eager not to make the same mistake as the one before her. Next to her is one of the Amethyst's from the Zoo, carrying the shipment of Zooman fruit and other needed items.

The Rose Quartz stared at her companion, rolling her eyes before stopping as they reached the doors to her quarters.

"Remember to be respectful." She had heard from Holly Blue Agate that the Amethysts were known to be rowdy and hardly bat an eye at another gems status. She didn't want to be shattered because her fellow guard was an idiot.

Said gem just groaned and rolled her eyes.

Pressing her hand on the hand shaped panel, the door buzzed to life and opened. The duo stepped into the room, marvelling at its design briefly. They did not know what to expect when coming into the room. The room utilised platforms to provide cover and to be able to reach the top of the room.

"My Diamond!" The Rose Quartz brought her arms into the appropriate salute, elbowing her companion to do the same. The Amethyst dropped the shipment unceremoniously, and mimicked the Diamond salute.

The room falls into a silence that is minorly uncomfortable. They'd look around, trying to catch a glimpse of their Diamond.

"Yo PD?" Amethyst enquired, gaining another sharp jab to her side.

Finally a sound. There was the unmistakable sound of squeaking. They would both glance around in puzzlement, until from one of the upper platforms a gem bounced down. They both managed to take a step back before the gem landed in front of them, legs morphing on legs and not springs.

"Well, hey hey!" She grinned, extending her arms to take each of their hands and shake quite quickly. "I'm Pink Diamond and Steven's pal Spinel! You must be the guards I heard we were gettin'!"

"Yes." The fellow pink gem was able to compose herself and not make a fool of herself while the other gawked. "We were sent to bring food for her pet. We need space to plant it."

"Like a garden? Ooh! This will be so exciting! We can make a garden here! Hey, Pebbles!" Smaller gems appeared as Spinel twirled around, bouncing on her heel. "We need to make a separate room! We're gonna make a garden!"

"Did you say Steven?" Amethyst asked, looking at Spinel. She would grin widely, before laughing once more.

"Of course I did!" As if summoned, the organic poked his head out from one of the platforms on the ground. He peered at the trio timidly moving his arms into an awkward diamond salute, but Amethyst brightened.

"Woah, hey! You were with the other Amethyst! You all came to the Zoo! Remember us? I'm one of the Famethyst!" She walked over, and with ease was able to lift Steven. She held him up under his arms, now able to see him properly. "Yo, what happened to you? I had no idea you had a gem!"

"It's an organic." Rose Quartz reminded sharply.

"Nah! He's all squishy like an organic, I know the humans!" She hummed, taking note of the gem in his stomach. "That must be where Pink is!"

"Pink isn't around anymore, its just Steven. I think?" Spinel scratched the top of her head, her arm making multiple loops in the process. "It's all awfully confusin', but right now it's only Steven! And he's a whole lotta fun! Pink will come back when she's ready!"

"Yeah, 'course he is! He got to hang out with a fellow Famethyst member!" The purple gem beamed at Steven, meanwhile the Rose Quartz hurried over.

"If he's carrying Pink's gem, you ought to show him a little respect! Not carrying him like that!" She yelled, Steven visibly flinched at the outburst as Amethyst took a step back.

"Aw, don't be like that!" She shifted so Steven was being cradled with one arm. Using her hand, she was able to move his lips into a smile. "Just look how happy he is!"

"Yes!" Spinel's elastic arms pull them all into a hug. Rose Quartz struggled briefly, fearful that she would be shattered for being so close to a Diamond in such a casual manner. "This is going to be so much fun! Lets build us a garden! I came from one, y'know? But that one's all withered away and boring, let's make one for all of us to frolic in! Yippee! This is gonna be a blast!"

Rose Quartz couldn't help but wonder what in the stars she had been assigned to guard.

Gardening was a simple task. It was a lot easier to do than following Holly Blue's constant orders. It felt so much better being here, she was the luckiest Amethyst in the whole galaxy to get such a job.

Spinel was bouncing somewhere near them, creating an environment with the aid of the Pebbles that simulated a garden atmosphere. She was giggling and squealing the whole time, her enthusiasm was contagious. Though a quick glance to her fellow Quartz told her that it didn't quite reach everyone.

The human had grown flowers remarkably quickly. His fingers brushed along the dirt, and they would sprout as he willed it. Or did Pink Diamond will it? Was it perhaps a mix of the two?

Different kinds of fauna bloomed from the dirt, curling to greet the human host with elegant intent. He'd brush his fingers along them in a silent greeting, a conversation that Amethyst had no idea how to partake in.

Some bare resemblance to a bell, with yellow seeds on the inside like eyes to watch them intently. Another she took note of was a flower with five petals facing upwards with a swollen stem. She also realised that some of the leaves on a small portion of the plants had failed and had begun to seemingly wither away.

"Freesia."

The Amethyst stopped her task, embarrassed that she had been caught. The little human was looking at her, his expression unreadable.

"Freesia?" She echoed questioningly, smiling at him lightly. The trees that grew the fruit had already began to grow, so he would be able to eat soon. They had been engineered to grow quickly, and sprout fruit on command. Truly wonderful. Though she is positive that Pink Diamond's powers also speed up the process, considering that this once blank area of dirt was beginning to bloom with different colours.

She wondered if he was okay, he just sort of stood there.. He was way more emotive when they were at the Zoo.

"Freesia." He pointed at her. "Your.. Name.."

"My name? I'm an Amethyst! One of the best, may I add~" She hummed pridefully, giving a wink as she pointed at herself with her thumb.

"An Amethyst.. Not.. Amethyst.." He murmured softly, shaking his head lightly. "You're.. Freesia.."

"Huh, guess that would help tellin' me apart from other Amethysts huh? Besides the location we burst outta, we ain't got anythin' meaningful. Guess I'm Freesia then." She pulled him into a sideways hug, pushing a fruit into his hands. "You must be hungry lil' man. You got names for the others?"

"Only know.. Know one Spinel." Steven murmured, taking a bite of the fruit and chewing slowly. He looked at the Rose Quartz as she continued her work dutifully. "I.."

"Spinel keeps hers, for now huh? How 'bout that for a deal, eh?" Freesia watched as he continued to eat, chewing thoughtfully. "We got lots of time to think of different names anyway.."

"Dah.. Dahlia?"

"For Spinel?"

He shook his head, his gaze still on the Rose Quartz. Freesia would nod slowly, deciding that would do though she didn't really know if they meant anything.

"Freesia, Spinel and Dahlia, we're your current court then! Way better than the others."

"And the Pebbles."

"Yeah, can't forget them." She laughed lightly with a grin, smiling at Steven. "Guess you must'a met another Rose Quartz before, huh? I know you know the Amethyst that never popped out in time. Wonder how she's doing now, bet you'll be getting your pals back to be in your court again."

For a moment, he looked sad. He finished the fruit before getting up and walking off. The newly named Freesia was left alone to wonder what upset him.

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#steven universe #su #steven universe homebroken #su homebroken #story

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royalsmugbird · 11 months ago

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More au nonsense for all you lovelies!

Bendy and the Ink Machine/Dark Revival:

AudreyAngel!AU: In which our heroine is born into the ink world not as herself, but as a variation of the feminine deuteragonist of a certain cartoon. After all, every demon needs their angel, and it's time the Ink Demon met his.

DemonAudrey!AU: In which Audrey's rebirth frees the Ink Demon from his cute prison... Sort of. Now Audrey awakens as the famous cartoon, but she still has a link to this world's monster. And he wants her.

FallenAngel!AU: Role-swap AU. Bendy Stein is thrust into the hellish world of his father's inky creations, featuring twisted versions of cartoon characters Fallen Angel Audrey, Sammy Seraphim, Ghost Girl Carly, and so many more. Will he survive, and discover the secrets at the center of this world? Or will he succumb to the dark puddles?

Resident Evil:

Mamma'sMission!AU: In which Miranda kidnaps and impersonates Ethan. Now, Mia must rescue her daughter from the twisted cult leader, and uncover her husband's fate. Essentially, what-if of Village, but we play as Mia.

FifthLord!AU: In which Miranda wants to add the Winters family to her cavalcade of monstrous houses, at a steep price. The mold that runs in Ethan's veins has a dark past, after all, and a darker secret that ties him and his family to this twisted village.

Rain World:

HelpIveTurnedIntoASlugcat2!AU: Shortly post-Rivulet's campaign. In which Five Pebbles can only wait until his Rot consumes him, or he collapses, whichever happens first. But what happens when a creature outside the cycle is thrust into it, when its species cannot reproduce? Apparently gets reborn as the nearest sapient species, which has been karmically harassing him since his whole mess started. Fate has never been particularly kind to Pebbles, after all.

FNAF:

GenericMikeGotStuffedInASuit#Whatever!AU: Pretty self-explanatory. Because animatronics and the Afton fam have never meshed well together.

GlamrockMike!AU: Nothing too special, just a little au where Glamrock Freddy is different because he's the only animatronic... With a soul. Michael Afton's soul, because fate is a cruel mistress to the guy who wanted to right his family's wrongs.

Steven Universe:

BlackDiamond!AU: After the series, a long-lost, powerful gems reawakens and returns to the universe. Far stronger than all of gem-kind combined, and extremely enigmatic in motive and drive. But her prolonged absence was for dark reasons, and her return marks a new threat that Steven, his friends, and his family may not walk away from.

ShatteredCrystals!AU: Between the Gem War and modern times, Rose decided to reveal the truth about Pink Diamond... And it broke the weak foundations of the remaining Crystal Gems apart. Garnet unfused, and Ruby and Sapphire left the temple. Amethyst was never found in her Kindergarten. Now, it's just Pearl, taking care of a little Steven with Greg. But the past has a way of still haunting the present.

Don't mind me, just compiling a list of AUs and fanfics I've been thinking of here for my own sake, because I'm afraid I'll forget them under the stress of my current workload!

Steven Universe:

TrueQuartz!AU (Steven is the son of an actual Rose Quartz, namely Shy Rose)

CrystalTemps!AU (Featuring Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, and Spinel as our main CGs - with Lapis and Peridot as a QP Fusion called Variscite - and a lot of role/mom-swaps abound)

StevenTale (Steven Universe x Undertale crossover; Steven Universe characters in the settings/plot of Undertale, basically)

Undertale:

SaveHim!Ending (You can't save Asriel, but maybe you can save Him. Even after all he did to you, he deserves it. But that requires your own work. Basically an exploration on concepts of AI, autonomy, the plot of all Undertale paths, and more)

GameOver!AUs (Basically hypothetical scenarios on what would happen when you lose to the major bosses of the game)

Pokemon:

NotAlone!AU (Mystery Dungeon continuity, and basically an AU where the main character of Super learns they aren't the only human-turned-Pokemon, drawing on the protagonists of the past games)

Glitchmon!AU (Rarer as they've become with each passing generation, and now basically impossible to access without outside hacking tools, we all remember glitch Pokemon, right? Well, in this world, they exist, alongside regular Pokemon!)

AshRed!AU (Universe where Ask Ketchum/Satoshi is the little brother of Red. Not much else too it, save the fact it probably falls under Pokemon Yellow/Let's Go Pikachu Versions)

Dragon Ball:

AlternateZ!AU (Basically a complete rewrite/divergence of Z from the beginning, starting with Goku reluctantly going with Raditz into space. Based on a weird dream I had, and I'm trying to expand it.)

Monster!AU (Aside from the humans, all aliens/creatures/gods/whatever in the series are based off of classical monsters!)

Bleach:

Hollow!AU (In which Ichigo and friends fail to save Rukia from her execution, and Aizen uses their grief and rage to his advantage. Alongside his original Arrancar, he now has some of the most powerful Hollows under his control.)

Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim:

The Divine Winds of Time (A Skyrim x Rune Factory 4 crossover. Basically a little what-if where, in the attempt to save her life, the lovely Divine Dragon Ventuswill and Frey are transported to Tamriel, where they meet the Dragonborn and Paarthurnax, Odahviing, and even Akatosh's firstborn himself.)

Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood/Manga Canon):

HomunculiKids!AU (The Homumculi return, but as kids, with amnesia and no powers. Placed under monitored care, they slowly regain their past memories, but their previous attrocities clash with their moralities and behaviours, leading to a ton of turmoil. Mostly fluffy domestic stuff, though.)

And I'll add more as my mind keeps brewing!

#text post #batim #batdr #resident evil #rain world #fnaf #steven universe #steven universe future #su #suf #alternate universe #alternate universes #self reblog #self reference #fandom

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ahh-fxck · 4 years ago

Link

I brushed up and expanded one of my drabbles. Thank you @stressedspidergirlsfandomblog for the inspiration, I hope you enjoy it!

Her eyes widen with surprise and she turns, a smile stealing across her face. “You said it aloud,” she notices, violet eyes sparkling.

Geralt smiles, flashing his sharp canines. “Special occasion,” he quips, but as she takes a breath to complain he leans down and captures her in a heartfelt kiss. Laughing warmly, she twines her arms around his neck and pulls him close. Their tongues slide together as their eyes drift closed, and Geralt wraps his arms gently around her waist. A soft sigh drifts between them as their bodies melt into one another, lost in the patter of the rain falling from the roof.

As they part, eyes sparkling, Yennefer licks her lower lip and gives Geralt a playful, calculating look. Then she says, “Breakfast?”

Geralt curls loosely in the alcove formed by a luxurious window seat, staring glumly out the glass panes at the rain pouring down outside. He had been planning to go out riding with Yennefer today, to take her to a special place he had found out in the forest. Instead, they were stuck inside while the churning downpour turned the roads to impassable mud. There was no way he was taking Roach or Yennefer out in it.

Instead, he casts his eye over the estate below him. The rich gardens are full of flowers at this time of year, a visual feast from the window seat in normal weather. Right now though, the plants are bent in the downpour, appearing to huddle together against the ferocity of the rain. He grumbles, feeling thwarted.

Around him, the rest of the castle is still asleep. Even Yennefer is in bed across the room from him, soundly slumbering. She likely would be so until well after when he normally had breakfast, but even that was hours away. Years of hard living had made it difficult for him to stay asleep after daylight broke, and today had been no different.

As he eyed the flowers shivering in the rain, an idea began to form. Out in the forest some miles from here, he had discovered a cave while he was on a hunt. It had been a wild, tumbling place covered in rich early spring lilacs, tucked at the back of a ravine. At the very base of it, amidst the rich twisting of thick roots, the mouth of the cave sparkled in the early morning light. At first he had wondered if it was dew on the rocks, but as he got closer, he realized that the rocks were in fact covered in little crystals.

Around the entrance of the place were chunks of raw rock striated with bands of gemstone, red and orange and white. They’d fallen away from the ceiling and walls some time ago, revealing the crystalline hollow to light and wind. Geralt ventured further in, cautious, keen ears pricking at the shift of every pebble. He held a sign at the ready, prepared to cast it at a moment’s notice should the roof begin to collapse.

It held, however, and as he walked further back into the hollow, he saw that it was secure. As he turned around, his gaze sweeping the interior, he felt a prickle of wonder at what he found within. There were little gaps in the roof here and there where roots had poked through, allowing bright shafts of light to penetrate the dimness. The walls were a breathtaking array of multi-hued crystal, refracting the tender leafy light from above with rippling splendor. Whenever a breeze breathed into the cave, it filled with the heady scent of lilacs, of dirt and leaves and clean water. He had rarely seen anything more beautiful. It made him think of Yennefer.

Yennefer had been having a hard time of late. She was smart, yes, and self-possessed to a fault. Her world was hard, and cruel, and she was more than capable of holding her own within it. However, the Council had been embroiled in a series of terrible disputes as of late. For a group of people known for their backbiting, Geralt had been impressed by the spate of viciousness in the stories Yennefer had been bringing home lately.

The toll on Yennefer herself had been troubling. The Council had become a truly hostile place for her, and her fellow sorcerers had cracked her armor. They had found ways to diminish her, to take pieces away. She had become withdrawn and angry, keeping Geralt at a distance, suggesting he go find contracts and leave her in peace. And he’d done so, and returned. When he’d come back, she’d been more withdrawn than ever. The cycle had repeated, his worry increasing, until she had exploded in rage and cast him unceremoniously out onto the road again. Upset but unsurprised, Geralt had returned to the Path, putting her out of his mind until he’d found the crystal cave in the forest nearby some months later.

He’d ridden back to Vengerberg, apprehensive but hopeful. And indeed, Yennefer had cooled down in the intervening months. She was more subdued than usual when he arrived at her gate, but she had welcomed him back into her home. After dinner, she had even welcomed him into her bed.

It had been about a week since then, but the rain was refusing to let up. As he studied the flowers shivering together in the warm spring rain, the idea he’d been having solidified. He might not be able to bring Yennefer to the cave today... but perhaps he could bring it to her.

Some hours later, Yennefer awakens to a dripping wet Witcher toweling himself off nearby. His mind is curiously blank, and when she tries to brush deeper, she encounters a hard wall where there is usually an open gate. It isn’t like Geralt to make such an effort to lock her out, but it isn’t entirely unheard of; Sometimes the Witcher wants his privacy, and she is generally content to let him have it. She sits up in bed slowly, eyes running up and down Geralt’s scarred, well-muscled body. Then her gaze drops to the floor, and she can see a pile of utterly sodden clothing near the door.

“Geralt?” She asks with a yawn. “What on earth have you been doing?”

“Something special,” Geralt replies unhelpfully, padding over to the wardrobe and rummaging until he finds a soft pair of black pants. Then he eyes his options and chooses a black chemise and, to Yennefer’s surprise, a black and silver doublet that she had picked out for him some years ago. Usually he had to be bribed or threatened into it; it was a rare treat to see him donning it of his own free will.

“Why?” She asks sleepily, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. On a chair near the bed is a fur-lined silk robe in dark peacock green silk. With a graceful movement she rises and dons it. He shrugs, lacing up the doublet quickly. Then he turns to her and gives her a sweet, lopsided smile. Through the wall in his mind leaks a single image, of lilacs dewed with waterdrops, crystalline in early morning light. Cocking her head to the side, she approaches him, intrigued.

Gently as if he were handling a flower, he reaches out and draws her in for a long, slow kiss. As their tongues slide together, all she can see are flowers. Lilies, lilacs, roses, all covered in rolling droplets.

When they part a moment later, his yellow eyes are soft. She purses her lips at him, suspicious. When he sees her suspicion he merely smiles, taking her by the elbow and nudging her towards the door. “Come with me,” he insists. Eyeing him again, she allows herself some curiosity and nods. “Not far, I hope?” She says primly, sliding her feet into silk slippers and tying the robe around her waist.

“Not far,” he rumbles, pleased. Opening the door, he gestures her out into the hallway. He follows her out of the door and into the hallway, then leads her up several flights of stairs to a small observatory perched at the top of the manor. The door is closed, but she can smell a riot of floral odors drifting on the breeze blowing under it.

“Close your eyes,” he hums, smiling. She frowns at him, brushing across the wall inside his mind again, but all she can see is flowers. While she could break through it easily enough, she chooses not to, allowing him his surprises. It’s very rare that he plays games like this with her, and she is finding herself enjoying it. Closing her eyes, she reaches out for him and he takes her hand. With the other hand, he opens the door and carefully escorts her across the threshold. Inside the room she is bombarded by the smell of flowers and water, different from the usual wood, paper, and ink that she associates with the space. The light is rich through her eyelids, too rich for the weather.

“Open,” he says, and there’s a note of pride in his voice. She does, and lets out a little gasp. The room is covered in geometric arrangements of flower and crystal, undulating bands of color and shape that line the walls of the observatory.

The flowers are in vases, and the vases have been set in big glass bowls full of shining marbles in different hues, catching the drips. Near the irises and lilacs are big chunks of amethyst, fluorite, and tanzanite, grading into bands of malachite and jade surrounding bowls of freshly cut ferns and birds of paradise, shocking sprays of orange, pink, and blue amidst the green stones.

As she turns around the observatory, the damp rainy light catches and refracts amongst the stones and glass that form a rainbow around the room. The cascading water pouring off of the roof makes everything ripple and dance. As she comes to a rest her eyes feast on jasper, ruby, and carnelian surrounding roses, fragrant and damp in the lovely light. She recognizes most of the precious stones from around her manor, but has never had them all arranged together in one place like this.

“Geralt...” She breathes, squeezing his hand.

He steps close, kissing the side of her head and drawing her against his side. “There’s more,” he murmurs fondly against her ear. Gesturing, he draws her attention to the big desk at the center of the room. Instead of the usual stacks of books, papers, and globe, there is a tablecloth. On it sits a tray with a tall, cold tankard full of apple juice, beads of moisture winking on its sides. There is a plate stacked high with honey cakes and sweetmeats in the middle.

A wide smile crosses her face, and she brings his arms up, wrapping herself in them. Leaning back against him, she luxuriates in the solid warmth of his strong body behind her. He squeezes her close, sighing with contentment, fully releasing the wall he’d held between them. Their thoughts twine together like rising steam in the late morning light.

<<Why?>> She asks, fingers gently caressing across the backs of his hands.

A swirl of images surrounds her, flickering phantom moments of suitors and sorcerers, kings and queens and merchant princes. Cruel flashes of the Council. Hungry eyes, empty hearts. Always trying to take away pieces of her, diminish her, make her a known, controllable quantity. Yennefer has become self-possessed out of sheer force of personality, but the gnawing abrasiveness of her world still takes pieces away, sometimes. Makes her feel smaller. She didn’t realize how often Geralt saw it, until now.

<<You are surrounded by this... people don’t see you. They see power, and they want to be a part of it... or control it. They take pieces. Make you feel small.>> They smile together, and he squeezes her closer. << I never want you to feel like you’re not good enough. You are exquisite. >> And then, he leans down and brushes his lips softly along her neck. They both sigh as she shifts back against him, her body relaxing into his. Bringing his lips to her ear again, he whispers, “I love you.”

~*~

Her eyes widen with surprise and she turns, a smile stealing across her face. “You said it aloud,” she notices, violet eyes sparkling.

As they part, eyes sparkling, Yennefer licks her lower lip and gives Geralt a playful, calculating look. Then she says, “Breakfast?”

He smiles back at her, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Whatever you want.”

“Hmmm… Promise?” She purrs, pushing him gently towards the desk. With a soft chuckle he goes where she wants him to, letting her guide him into the big, comfortable seat. As he settles, she slides into his lap, curling herself so that she can reach the food and drink. He wraps his arms around her waist with a big smile and lets his fingers linger along her thighs, watching as she reaches out and pulls the tankard and plate close. Her robe slips and he glimpses her breasts. His eyes widen and she laughs, shifting to allow the robe to fall just that little bit more open.

“Are you ever going to get tired of them?” She smiles fondly, cutting him a glance as she breaks apart a honey cake.

“Hmm… Don’t think so,” he rumbles, peering over her shoulder contentedly. With a grin, she pushes his head up with the tip of one finger and offers him a bite of honey cake. His eyebrows go up as he sees it, and he delicately removes it from her fingers with his teeth. Then he carefully tongues the sticky honey and crumbs away, locking eyes with hers. A flush colors her cheeks as she lets her fingers linger on his lips. Then, eyes still locked with his, she takes a bite out of the little cake. A soft sigh escapes him, and his eyes drop to travel over her, lingering fondly on her lips, her skin, her bared breasts. She can feel the stirring of his cock against her thigh and a comfortable curl of warmth goes through her.

They pass a delightful morning together curled in the chair. Humming and murmuring to one another in the hushed tones of lovers, they feed one another cakes until the plate is empty. Teeth gently nibble crumbs off of fingers, lips and tongues gently suckle honey away until fingertips are tender and pink. And when the cakes and the apple juice are gone, they turn to one another, bellies full and hearts content.

Yennefer catches Geralt’s sweet lips in a long, slow kiss, teasing him with gentle flickers of her tongue. He murmurs happily up against her, fingers tangling in the soft silk of her robe. Slipping back, she delicately stands. As their lips part he opens his eyes with a slow blink, following her to her feet.

“Bed?” He suggests, teasing his fingers lightly along the collar of her silk robe.

“Mmhm…” she replies, a mischievous smile playing about her lips. With a quick gesture of her hand, the desk vanishes. A sudden rush of air whooshes around them, filling the space where the desk once stood, and in its place there is their mattress and a generous pile of pillows. She smiles as Geralt’s eyebrows go up.

“I like it in here,” she says. “Let’s make an afternoon of it.” And with that, she pulls him playfully onto the bed. Without protest he follows her, tumbling into the pile of pillows with a deep laugh. From the vantage point of the bed, the room is full of jewel colored light, surrounding and bathing them in bright hues. As Yennefer slips her robe off of her shoulders, his eyes play over her lithe, strong body. Above them, the storm roars with renewed fury, battering the glass panes with torrents of water. He rolls over onto his back, pulling her to him, and she flows over him like a river.

Afterwards, they melt into one another, surrounded by the sweet scents of flowers and satiation. She kisses sweat from his face, and he tongues it delicately off of her neck, savoring the richness of her scent. Their cheeks rub together, hands exploring, smoothing away worries and settling into contented bliss. A deep rumble of contentment vibrates her body as he purrs, twining his arms around her and cradling her close. She snuggles into his chest, fingering the softness of the doublet, and lets her eyes slip closed.

“I love you, too.”

#witcher #the witcher #yenneralt #gerennefer #geralt x yennefer #geralt/yennefer #witcher geralt #witcher yennefer #geralt of rivia #yennefer of vengerberg

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c-atm · 4 years ago

Note

Cracked Steven Au

This is an original take on the Cracked Steven Au. So please bare with me..Hope you enjoy @holypicklekidcroissant

The sound thumping of the stairs stirred Connie from her rest causing her to groan as she rubbed the sleep out her eyes. Turning to the clock on the nightstand seeing it was 3:21 in the morning, she let free a small sigh of annoyance, when she heard the front door shut close.Turning to her window she saw a sight she's unfortunately, becoming accustomed too.

She rose from her bed quickly putting on a blue bomber jacket over her flannel pajamas before picking up a pink Letterman from the closet floor.

Just in case he could feel cold tonight.

There was no need to chase, she couldn't catch up while he was actively zooming to the place he always seemed to go. She whistled into the night and waited. It was a whole ten seconds before Lion's pawed steps rounded from the corner of her home. She turned to her left, seeing the second lifelong friend walk up to her, a crystal lizard in his mouth. She giggled as the beast dropped his meal in offering, before nuzzling into her collarbone.No double sensing how distressed she was.

She wrapped her arms around the pink beast before kissing his jaw. "Thank you, Lion. It'll be ok." She let the beast go rubbing under his jaw with her right hand. "We gotta get to Steven. You know where, right?"

Lion gave an affirmative snarl before moving from her hand and lowering his hand for her to get on. He stood up straight, when he felt her securely mounted and gave a roar creating a portal of pink and white in front of them. They leapt into the warp with no hesitation.

Steven sat at the edge of the fountain, his legs and arms crossed as he stared at the statue of Rose Quartz, shame in his eyes. He sighed in a distorted voice at the visage. “My diamond, please allow me a little ease." He clenched his five clawed hands into fist. It was then he heard the sound of a portal opening behind him. He didn’t turn to acknowledge it, he knew who was coming, he kept forward eyes on the statue.

He didn’t react when she stepped up beside him and sat down on his right side. He tried to ignore the twist in his heart at the natural smell of her. Kept his snarl down as he glanced at her knee to chest, slightly messy haired form. She was more than appealing to him but it was inappropriate. Their stations were too different.

He was a representative for Homeworld, a member of ‘Rose Diamond court. She was, from what he could tell from his memories and interactions, A human ambassador of some sort. She was important enough to talk directly to his commanders Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl...To the Diamonds themselves and tell them he was under her direct surveillance until further notice and to have all six agree without argument.That at least, solidified that her standing was higher than his.

His vivid, impassioned thoughts of her were unwanted and disrespectful.

“Nice night. Gotta admit, the fountain always looks most enchanting when it’s reflecting the moon.”

Steven nodded at her off handed comment, fighting the rapid beating in his chest. “Yes, it does.”

Silence returned between the two as Connie glanced at the person beside her. The person, who at any other time would be her Mister, but now was someone far off from her Jambae, mentally and physically.

His tan pink skin with visible splinter markings, which ran hotter than usual, his overall height was that of Garnet and mass just a little more than Pearl’s. His hair was now a black and pink streaked combination that fell to his nape. His eyes were glassy rose lenses with only the slightest appearance of an iris and pupil in them. His gem..

Her fist clenched at the thought of his gem.. It was cracked. Someone got close enough to crack him and the culprit has yet to be found.. Though you couldn’t tell. It was seemingly untouched and perfect condition..Until you get closer. There five spider thin splinters from the gem face would be visible. Five splinters filled with some kind of hardened goo, holding the pink diamond together, keeping him alive, but fragmenting and mixing up his memories every time he sleeps. A switch between five personas, a correlation with each crack.

R&D have been trying to find a solution that didn’t involve cracking again the gem to remove the unwanted pieces for two main reasons. One, no one wants to see Steven wither in pain like that, ever again, and two, the gem itself was slowly losing its brilliance and becoming more fragile as time passes. Things they starved off using diamond essence baths. Which unfortunately, also was the cause of the goo hardening to its current point

A weight on the road to recovery.

‘Speaking of which, his gem is looking a bit dim.’ Connie thought with worry. She stood up taking off her jacket before stepping into the fountain cool diamond infused water. Once she was waist length she sat down, facing the blushing, bewildered hybrid. “Come join me.” She gave him a sweet smile raising a hand toward him.

Steven stood up in attention at her gentle command, a soldier to his commander. He removed his black shirt and blue jeans, throwing them to the side, showing the darkish red splinters like marks that seeped from the gem on to his skin racing only a few inches in each direction but was prominent enough to see even at their two meter distance. He walked in trying to hide the shivers as he felt the essence begin to do its job as the red seemed to slowly retreat into the gem, giving it’s luminescence back. He swam towards the woman ignoring the sensation, fully focused on the order he received. He was caught off guard when she met him midway ,grabbing his hand and pulling him close, before laying him down, his head upon her chest when her hands locked around his.

“Ms.Connie?”

"He felt embarrassed at his own voice and the meekness that came from it, despite not being able to help it. He looked up as her, the woman's hair falling from each of her sides, brushing his ears, shadowing their faces from the moon

“Just Connie...What brought you out here tonight?”

Her question threw him off balance, as did her concern look.

“It..It was nothing important.” guilt thick in his voice. “What of you?”

“I heard you leave our home…”

“Your home.” The hybrid corrected

“Our home.” She retorted pointedly. “ In a hurry.” She sighed. “You can talk to me, you know that, right?”

“I appreciate the concern, but please..Do not fret yourself over me.”

She bit back a groan at his apologetic laugh. This persona, Soldier; she inwardly referred to him as, was polite and structured, but so guarded about his own wants, needs, and troubles. It made it hard to really connect with him. Though, there is a way to get him to loosen his lips.

“Steven, Why have you left base, in the darkness of the night to this fountain?”

She hated how he stiffened almost in shame at her commanding tone,..She hated giving him a command, but it was necessary, and she hated that fact as well.

“I...Had a memory..Of my cracking.” Fear and defeat evident in his voice as he reached towards his gem.

“Did.. Did you see who did it?” She wished she didn’t sound so eager, but the perpetrator identity was something she had been waiting for.

“I did, but I did not recognize such a jagged cut gem.” He trembled as the memory of a spiked fist colliding with his gem played back in his mind. “If you can call such a thing a gem.”

‘.. A gem mutant? A gem mutant did this?’ Connie held him tighter, feeling his discomfort. Her left hand meeting his right cheek in a gentle stroke as she gently laid her head on top of his crown.”It’s ok, you’re safe Steven.”

. .He relaxed and felt a heavier weight on his chest. “I’m sorry for dragging you out of your slumber-.”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” The woman interrupted fire in her cool voice. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m here for you, always.” She kissed the top of his crown, feeling him grab her hand in surprise.

“Ms.Connie?” Wonder in his voice.

“Just Connie.” She offered.

“I couldn’t. Your station is higher than mines.”

“We’re equals I’ve told you that before.” She did, so many times since this happened. “That has always been the nature of our relationship.”

“...How long have we known each other?”

Connie couldn’t help but feel protective over ‘Soldier’. With his voice low and full of modest shyness; she couldn’t help but be reminded of kid Steven. “ You know that already.” She teased.” Eight years.”

He said nothing letting that bit of info set in. “You were aware of me since I was a pebble?”

She wanted to laugh...but his terms, mannerisms...The surprise and pride in his voice...It was all evident to how mixed up he was, and it shattered her heart. “We’ve been together since we were kids.” Her voice held her sorrow. “We’ve always been close...There was never a time we were less than the best of friends.”

“...Is that why you call me ‘Bisky’?”

She nodded. “It is. It’s my term of endearment for you and you alone.”

“I...I find that hard to believe.” Quietly, he lowered his head. It was too good to believe, an organic gem like him having a close relationship with someone like her. “I want to believe, but my memories says different.”

“It’s not your fault, Bisky, you're the victim in this.”Connie nuzzled close to him, trembling as she did.

He hated the feel of her tears and hated himself more for causing them.

#angst #ANGST AND FEELS #cracked steven #one shot #adult connie maheswaran #adult steven universe #Connie's trying to be strong #fighting flirty compliant #maybe #connverse #steven universe fanfiction #steven universe #connverse fanfiction #asked answered

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e350tb · 5 years ago

Text

Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Fifty-Four

(thanks as always to @real-fakedoors for proofreading - and fixing the intro!)

Zircon felt colder than normal. Brittle. Like she'd somehow not managed to readjust her gravity to whatever planet she found herself and was only keeping her form together by the barest of threads. The only dread she'd ever known that could compare to this was from what felt like a lifetime ago, when she'd been charged to defend Rose Quartz before the truth of her identity came to bare; even if it had been under false pretenses, the fear Zircon knew that day was very real. Tangible, like a foot slowly putting pressure against her gem, waiting and waiting and waiting, knowing she wasn't going to survive no matter what she did.

Looking over Holly Blue's camp, she felt remarkably like she had then.

On the surface, it looked idyllic. The waterfall, cascading down from a jagged cliff covered in greenery, poured into the crystal blue waters of a small lake that sparkled in the sun. Around it stood Amethysts and Jaspers, guarding about a dozen humans. Each was clad in an outfit fashioned from leaves and flowers, sunning themselves or swimming or sitting on the rocks in the water. Another half-dozen were in the trees, picking strange blue fruits from the branches. All seemed completely docile, utterly at peace - and all had the same, glassy expression.

“So, uh, where’d the humans come from?” asked Zircon.

“They were supposed to go to the Human Zoo,” replied Jay. “Holly Blue wanted to oversee the shipment personally so that nothing could go wrong. Except we got too close to this planet, and it interfered with the ship, so…”

“How did it do that?” Zircon tilted her head.

“I dunno, you’d have to ask Holly Blue.”

They walked up to a rock path that snaked behind the waterfall into a hidden cave. Jay took the lead, and Gee the rear - Zircon felt more than a little caged in.

The cave was lit by a few fluorescent lights that had certainly seen better days. There were salvaged, weathered banners depicting the symbols of Blue Diamond, but otherwise it was a fairly plain cavern of dark brown, almost black, rock. A small spring, about a metre wide, ran from the lake through the cavern, and on into a tiny crevice no human or gem could hope to fit through.

In the middle, sitting on a tall chair of wood and leaves, sat Holly Blue Agate. Next to her was a small cage; within it, hunched and covered with dirt and what Zircon suspected might be blood, was Jenny Pizza.

Carefully, Zircon adjusted her jacket ever so slightly - the hard light fabric rubbing against the communications device.

“Who is this?” barked Holly Blue, leaning forward. Jay and Gee both snapped to attention.

“A Zircon, my Agate!” Jay replied.

“Yes, I can see that,” grunted Holly Blue. “Why is she here?”

“I cr… I crash-landed, m-my Agate,” replied Zircon, shakily saluting. “Y-your guards found me.”

“Hmm… usually they couldn’t find their way out of a holographic container,” said Holly Blue. “Still, no matter, you’re here. I suppose it’s too much to ask that you’re our rescue ship, hmm?”

“I… no, nobody knows you’re here, my Agate.”

The distant sound of thunder echoed in the cave.

“Well, it might be for the best,” said Holly Blue. “The orbital storm would knock any rescuers out of the sky. No matter, I’m sure my Diamond will come to rescue her favourite Agate any decade now!”

“Orbital storm?” quizzed Zircon.

“Yes,” Holly Blue pouted. “The rain storms on this planet are mirrored by heavy electrical activity in upper orbit. They just about destroyed my ship - I had to jettison most of my cargo.”

“Cargo? What were you carrying?”

“These miserable humans,” sniffed Holly Blue, gesturing to Jenny. “Good for menial labour and nothing else. I spaced what I couldn’t take into the evacuation shuttles, and about half of the rest… do you know they need food to live? Ridiculous. Took us cycles to find sustenance that didn’t kill them.”

She slouched in her chair, rubbing her temples.

“Still, the water here is a boon,” she said. “Makes them docile, makes them dumb, makes them good workers.”

“Isn’t that… so they’re like Pearls?” asked Zircon.

“Yes,” said Holly Blue flatly. “Of course they are.”

“...oh.”

“Well,” said Holly Blue, getting to her feet. “We’ll find something for you to do, I’m sure. But for now, we need to induct this new human. Care to observe?”

“Uh-”

“Good, good!” Holly Blue clapped her hands together. “Pick up the cage, Amethysts, we’re going outside.”

Jay walked over to the cage and picked it up; Jenny spat at her, and the Amethyst recoiled, dropping the cage back onto the floor.

“Careful!” Holly Blue thundered.

“Holly, I-”

Holly Blue drew her whip from her gem and cracked it across the unfortunate Amethyst’s face. She fell to her knees, clutching her cheek.

“I will not have your incompetence damage my labourers,” snarled Holly Blue. “And you will refer to me by my proper title!”

Jay swallowed, standing back up.

“Yes, my Agate,” she said, quietly and shakily.

“I didn’t hear you,” growled Holly Blue.

“Yes, my Agate!” she repeated loudly, saluting.

“Good,” nodded Holly Blue. “The remaining humans should be returning from their work parties shortly. Once they’re here, we’ll initiate their new ‘friend…’”

---

The precipitation in the air was heavy as the other humans returned.

It was clear they were in bad shape. Covered in mud and leaves and more than a few wounds, they nonetheless smiled blankly as they took their places on the shoreline, joining their cleaner brethren as an audience for the coming display. Zircon felt uneasy as she watched them from her spot on a rock in the middle of the lake, gathered with Holly Blue, Jay, Gee and Jenny.

“Why are those ones so dirty?” she whispered.

Gee shrugged.

“They do the harder work,” she replied. “Finding materials for the shelter.”

“Shelters?”

“Holly Blue’s ‘personal quarters,’” Gee replied. “At the top of the cliff. She demands it be kept in pristine condition. Wants a stone sculpture of Blue Diamond carved by the end of-”

“No talking down there!” snapped Holly Blue.

Gee shut her mouth, averting her eyes.

Holly Blue crossed her arms.

“Alright, humans,” she said, in a slow, deliberate voice. “You have a new arrival. She will join you soon. Welcome her.”

The humans cheered - a strange, childish sound.

“I hate talking to them,” Holly Blue hissed to Zircon. “No intelligence whatsoever.”

“Uh… y-yeah, uh, they’re…” Zircon trailed off and nodded vigorously.

Holly Blue clapped once, and Gee stepped forward. She broke open the cage and grabbed Jenny by the arm, dragging her towards the water’s edge.

“Let me go!” she snapped.

Gee didn’t reply, kneeling down by the lake’s edge and grabbing the back of Jenny’s head.

“Sorry ‘bout this,” she said, “but I gotta dunk you.”

“You mean you’re feeding her the water?” asked Zircon.

Jay snorted and Holly Blue rolled her eyes, but Zircon’s apparently dumb question had served it’s purpose - thanks, of course, to her hidden communicater.

“Get ready to take cover, Zircs, we’re coming in…”

Before Gee could dunk Jenny, something burst out of the water’s crystal blue surface. It was Kiki, smiling wildly as she looked into her sister’s eyes.

“K-Kiki?” Jenny swallowed. “C’mon sis, you’ve gotta recognise me…”

“New friend!” she said, her tone bubbly and vacant. “Come join us!”

“Kiki, it’s me! It’s Jenny!”

Kiki tilted her head.

“What is ‘Jenny?’”

For a moment, Jenny was silent.

Then, with a snarled roar, she twisted out of Gee’s grip, rolling under her legs and grabbing her in a headlock.

“You’ll pay for this!”

“Restrain her!” bellowed Holly Blue.

Then, sudden as a clap of thunder, the world flickered with color, movement, noise, a million things all at once.

A round, purple blur burst out of the treeline, slamming right into Holly Blue’s face. It landed next to her as the big blue gem tumbled backwards - it was Amethyst, whip in hand.

“Fam, I don’t wanna do this, but I will if I have to!”

Jay’s eyes lightened up.

“Oh my stars! 8XM!” she exclaimed. “I-”

“You insolent, overcooked little pebble!” spat Holly Blue, jumping back to her feet and swinging her whip towards the interloper. “I’ll grind you into-”

“Nope!”

Bismuth slammed onto the rock, having literally leapt out of the trees towards them. She held up her arm, the whip harmlessly wrapping around it, and tugged - it was ripped out of Holly Blue’s hands.

“Sorry, nobody’s gettin’ ground into sand on my watch,” she said, grinning.

Holly Blue snarled, clenching her fists.

“Guards!” she bellowed. “For the love of Blue, seize-”

The ground shook, and suddenly every drop of the lake’s water was lifting upwards. For a moment, all they saw was a bizarre, upwards flowing waterfall in all directions - Kiki dropped out onto the rock, giggling.

When it cleared, Beryl hovered over an empty lake, arms outstretched, a giant bubble of water hovering above them.

“Let these people go, Holly Blue,” they snarled.

Jay and Gee glanced at each other.

“...yeah, I’m not fighting that,” said Jay.

“So, how ya doin’, 8XM?” asked Gee.

“Pretty good,” replied Amethyst jovially. “By the way, you’re gonna wanna move.”

She pointed up. The bubble was getting colder, it’s surface lightening as it gradually turned to ice. In mere seconds, it had turned into a giant, frozen boulder, hanging right above Holly Blue’s head.

As everyone else on the rock cleared off, Holly Blue glanced to the far side of the lake. There stood Sapphire, her face completely stoic; but the ice that froze the grass around her betrayed her true emotions.

“Ruby was hurt because of you,” she said calmly.

The boulder dropped, and all Holly Blue knew was darkness.

---

The storm was drawing closer.

On the surface, it resembled a typical monsoon, with heavy, flooding rain and strong winds. But only a hundred or so feet above was the electrical storm. Lightning danced amidst clouds so thick a person couldn’t see their hand in front of their face, as impossibly strong gusts created miniature airborne tornados. This continued as such for another several thousand feet.

Above these clouds, in the atmosphere, was the orbital storm - a deadly cloud of electrical currents, magnetic interference and crushing gravitational forces. It was a maelstrom so powerful that no ship could ever hope to survive contact with it.

This unstoppable natural force would be on top of the Crystal Avenger within the hour…

#steven universe #marooned together #stevonnie #lapis lazuli #blue zircon #famethyst #holly blue agate #jenny pizza #kiki pizza #amethyst #bismuth #sapphire #lapvonnie #rupphire

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the-fickle-muse · 5 years ago

Text

The future has fangs

Colleseum AU timeline. Set post SUF 3k words.

Chapter 3 : Back to bed

So many new questions, but where to start? The gem, Tiger, lay peacefully before Steven and Connie. It's head firmly fixed on observing as Lion rolled his belly up to the bright sky. A warmth had settled overhead as midday marched comfortably onward, a softly blowing breeze filtering through the two large beasts’ manes.

The grass swayed in an inconsistent rhythm. Overhanging branches and rustling leaves greedily catching the sunlight above the resting trio, Shielding Connie’s eyes as she raised her hand up. Then lowered it back down. Over and over, watching Tiger's attention snap from lion to herself. Its tracking was impeccable. Even when she sharply changed the direction of her wandering wrist the gem not once was caught lingering in the wrong place.

Stevens' mouth creased into a thoughtful pout, holding out his hands at arms length before clapping daintily. The same way he remembers the homeworld gems ordering around their pearls.

"Up!" he barked, jokingly, laughing as Connie all but facepalms at the silly notion. His mocking air of superiority breaking into a shocked stare as his command is actually obeyed, Tiger sitting up with some effort.

"I didn't actually expect that to work." He admitted, sheepishly, suddenly feeling awkward as Tiger waited on the next order.

He clapped again, "down?" And sure enough, it lied back down, nestled into the grass with a hearty sigh.

Connie, whose knees were starting to leave imprints in the dirt, clapped twice with firm hands. "Up." But Tiger only watched, the corners of its mouth turned up in the same patient smile as before. Her cheeks burned, not having enough time to feel caught out as Steven almost doubled over from trying to hold in his giggles.

Just behind Connie's back stood Lion, staring at her like an obedient puppy. His eyes lit up excitedly as she turned to see what Steven was wheezing about, laughing and pushing his nose out of her face playfully.

"Not you!"

The cool breeze carried a clean, slightly grassy scent under the bustling trees, ruffling idly at everyone's hair while Lion returned to his pleasant sprawl under the sun. Steven unintentionally mimicked his companion by flopping onto the grass in a starfish pose. A groan breaking the very brief pause as he buried his face in his palms.

"What are we going to do with you, Tiger? Do we leave you here? Do we try to take you home? I wish we could just ask the gems from here.” “Steven… Don’t you have your phone?” Oh my stars.

His eyes jumped back open beneath his hands, looking up through the gaps at Connie who was leaning over him with an indiscreet look of amusement.

“Connie. I have a phone!” He blurted out, sitting upright so fast he almost headbutted his poor girlfriend in the nose.

"I can’t believe I missed that, it’s so obvious, I'll just call Amethyst! She's the most likely to pick up-"

My my. The little man really does talk, doesn’t he, so expressive too. And his friend… what a personality. Very fiesty, there’s a fire in there Tiger could appreciate. Though she had zoned out of their little squabble a while ago, too preoccupied with watching their movements to pay attention to their words. That gem in the boy’s stomach. It felt familiar, to an uncomfortable degree, yet she remembered nothing of the chunky lad it was embedded in.

As Steven stands, the cellular device ringing obnoxiously, Connie again began to glare in Tiger's direction. The beast smiled, already sensing the tension in the human's shoulders under the heavy jacket she wore. She huffed a polite chuff of air through Connie's bangs before stiffly getting up and stretching out each limb in turn, watching closely as the human followed suit, curious as to what the strange little people had planned.

Steven's bright smile and waving arms dragged her gaze back to him, cupping the air in front of him while slowly walking backwards.

"Come on, this way, follow us." Follow him. Or them, rather. Hmm. It was technically an order, one she was very tempted to obey, but worry had clouded her judgement. She didn't move at first, glancing from Steven to Connie and finally the opposing treeline as Lion padded over from his resting spot.

Would it be worth it? Putting them in danger to obey a simple command? The thought swam in her head, behind thick locks of fur, until it felt hazy and distorted. She felt the compulsion to move in her gem but her body wanted to flee instead. Such conflicting signals came out as high pitched, drawn out whines as she continued to stare at the forest and lightly shiver.

Connie spoke but the words were mostly lost to her foggy mind. Only zoning back in on the here and now as one of her hands came up to Tigers muzzle and gently waved in front of it. Such a simple gesture was so grounding. Like having a small rope lasso her consciousness back to the present while in reality all she had done was wiggle her wrist at the creature's face. Her whimpering died down to soft occasional grumbles. She sighed deeply and eventually took a few steps forward and the group disappeared into the bushes.

The tree they had been sitting under shuddered violently moments after they leave. Leaves drifted silently back and fourth all the way to the ground, settling at the patches of swaying grass that had been squashed flat. It continued to groan and creak under pressure until finally the weight lifts away, leaving behind deep scratches in the twisted bark.

Lion took the lead, pushing bushes and branches alike aside while Steven followed close behind, Connie and Tiger taking up the back of the little train. Their shoes and paws, leaving a long winding track in the dirt. Overlapping one another like layers of paint on a canvas. The muddled talk over the phone is hushed behind Tiger’s thoughts still buzzing and churning around in her head. Every few minutes turning to look at where they had just come from, and every time feeling a sense of relief as the trees stood silent and undisturbed.

The woods soon passed. From today’s rocky expanse, to yesterday’s battleground, and finally the monolith. Still exactly as they had left it, reaching tall towards the summer sky.

Steven sighed as he hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his bright pink jacket.

“Amethyst is busy, but Garnet said to wait at the bed and breakfast, she’s going to get Pearl and they’ll be bringing Dad’s van once Bis is finished fixing it. So like tomorrow? Until then I guess we should… Bring them to the B and B?” He gestured vaguely at Tiger as she approached the monolith and sat at its base, staring up at the top in silence. He casually approached the monstrous gem with his hands stuffed firmly into his pockets.

The beast droned quietly and gently placed one of its massive paws onto the stone, dragging it softly downwards, passing over the deep grooves in the pillar with a remorseful air. They angled their claws to line up with the scratches… they scrape, scrape, scraped away. Like a nervous itch, dragging tiny grainy pebbles out of the pillar, repeating the action while Connie stored her sword away in Lion's mane.

It felt like watching someone nervously tap their fingers on a desk. Or scribble nonsense into the borders of a scrapbook. The mindless nature of it reminding him of yesterday. Pacing back and forth, whining, being quick to flee. Thoughts of his own frustrations fluttering to mind. Uninvited and bitter. Pacing around his room, obsessively watering his plants, ignoring the building signs of stress. This monolith hadn't been struck by a vicious blow but by hours of slow scratching. Thoughtless action to vent out unwanted feelings.

His heart ached. He found something so wordlessly expressive almost hard to watch, having to redirect his eyes up to Tiger's creased muzzle where its smile had one been. Without thinking his hand drifted up from its safe snuggly spot in his pocket, softly touching the beast's shoulder. Smoothing over the prickling fur in slow soothing strokes. It was coarse but, as expected, pleasantly warm. Like a bowl of soup on a rainy day. Despite not having a real body, Steven could feel the gem's forearm ripple beneath his touch like a tensing muscle. The scratching came to a delayed halt as it turned to face him.

A slowly building hum from his gem took over the dense song of the trees. He found himself unable to take his hand away from Tiger’s fur. Time dragged along in a barely noticeable crawl. His breathing hitched at the dissociative sight of his hand clad in a long richly pink glove. Panicked, he pulled away from the beastly gem with a shaken expression.

Clearly Tiger noticed the oddity of the situation, as she rose from her haunches and took a single forceful step in his direction, stopped only by Connie who put a hand cautiously on the startled Steven's back.

"Steven, is everything ok?"

He shook away the off expression and glared back at the beast's face with a knowing frown.

"Y-yeah- yeah, I- Everything's good." A low rumble rolled from Tiger's mouth. Not threatening, but curious, as it tried to reach a claw to his stomach. Her paw was swatted away by Connie's firm knuckles.

"That's enough, whatever you did I don't appreciate it." She barked, taking Tiger by surprise, the gem’s tail swiftly tucking under its legs.

"We're going back to the B and B, as a group, and you're not going to cause trouble. Understood?" She got thorough nods from the beast, a lot more receptive to the little lady's firm attitude.

His hand retreated back into the confines of his jacket, easing Connie with a wide smile. It was disingenuous, but it was what she wanted to see. Steven just hoped it would be enough to offset her distrust of the looming beast.

The remainder of the walk back to civilisation was tense and unforgiving. Connie, still unsure of how to feel towards the gem, had Lion walk in between Tiger and Steven despite the monster's very clear interest in him. The drawl of cars on hot asphalt became louder as the woods began to thin and pull away.

"Do you think it'll follow?" Connie asked, cautiously, stepping out of the bushes to the side of the road. Tiger was still obscured behind a few branches, trotting to catch up.

"I hope so." Steven sighed back, not entirely sure of his own plan either. This wasn’t beach city. Even if it wasn’t too far away, giant gem monsters weren't something people just saw on a regular basis. "We should try to keep Tiger out of the open. If we can get them around the back of the B an' B I think this could work out. The manager was alright with Lion, so Tiger shouldn't be too different." He nodded, already planning out their crossing in his head as a gap in traffic approaches.

Connie hauled herself up onto Lions back, lightly nestling her hands in his mane like makeshift reins. "Hop on!" She patted the pink cat's back before holding her arm out to Steven. Pulling with a great deal of effort as he took it and was hoisted up behind her.

Tiger was still shadowed by the rustling blanket of leaves overhead, the gem swaying back and forth to get a better look at where she was. Some kind of human place, obviously, and as much as she wanted to avoid it the boy was clearly asking her to accompany him. After little thought she hustled up behind Lion, blowing air playfully across Steven and Connie's hair before all four of them made the short jaunt across the highway.

The road stilled. Quiet and unused, while several sets of paws padded across the heated surface. Tiger's muzzle lowered briefly to get a better look but jolted back upright the moment she fell a step behind. The building, now much closer, was nestled at the end of a long road. Further up was town, and further down was an open highway back to beach city. Claws made little pitter letters on pale concrete as they reached the other side. Lion thwapped tiger over the face with his tail, several times, until she gave up being behind the trio and pulled up at their side.

The space behind the building was scattered with the occasional car and a single flame-decal jeep. Trash bins lined the back wall, leading up to a big emergency exit style double door. The handle was a single long bar on either side. Lion's paws were near-silent on the pebbly tarmac, but Tiger's clawed back feet laced the air with clattering sounds every time they hit the floor.

"So… our options." Steven started, twisting to look around as he held onto Connie's shoulders for support. "By the car could work, but she might wander off, or get in someone's way-"

Connie swung her legs over Lion's broad shoulders, hopping down with a smack of her shoes against the floor. Not long after joined by Steven, who was still pondering their next step. Lion grumbled quietly, lifting his chin to lessen the pressure of his thick mane on his sore throat, catching sight of Tiger with her head buried deep in a dark green container. His ears turned towards her in curiosity.

She growled quietly with intrigue, smacking the back of her head against the lid as Connie clapped her hands loudly.

"Hey!" Tiger's head flew out of the dumpster, and with it so did a full garbage bag, which she dragged out and dropped at Connie’s feet. A large, comically goofy smile broadened across the beast's face, clearly very pleased with herself.

Despite everything Connie had to hold back a tiny snort. She watched as the beast's tail thumped against the floor like an excited dog.

"Tiger. Put it back." She got a low whine as a reply, having to roll her eyes and put it away herself before the heavy thumping sound returned.

"So in our room it is." Steven announced, dusting off his palms as Connie's shoulders bunched up.

"Whoah, wait, with us? We already have me and Lion in your room, don't you think it would be a bit crowded?"

Steven squints, both hands clasped together with the pointer fingers at his lips. He took a long pause while watching Lion incessantly bat at Tigers tail.

"Steven, quit stepping on my heels."

"It wasn't me, it was Lion!"

"Growwrrrr?"

"Shh, both of you, quiet." Connie hisses, her outstretched arm stopping Lion in his tracks while Steven delicately shuts the back doors behind the bundled up mess of a group. Everyone jumped in place as it clapped shut a little louder than intended.

Hallway? Clear. Reception desk? Clear. Front room… behind a corner up ahead. She could feel Lion and Tiger leaning out to peer around the corner with her and quickly batted them both away. "Why don't you just ask the manager if she can stay?"

"Because! What if she says no, or gets weirded out, she doesn't even know Lion slept in our room she thinks you two came from outside." He hastily whispered back, leading the convoy as everyone tiptoed up to the next corner. Tiger's broad and fluffy shoulders skewed paintings as she pushed past them, leaving a line of tilted landscape shots in their wake.

The floorboards creaked and groaned beneath their weight as they approached the stairs. The lounge was thankfully empty. Lion bounded up the stairs with relative ease thanks to his small paws and light weight. Tiger however stopped at the first step, looking down at her paw awkwardly, trying to find enough room to step.

"Steven, it can't walk on the stairs, the steps are too small" Connie whispered in hushed urgency, keeping watch behind them with Tiger's tail under her arm.

"Right, right, uh, let me think…" small steps. Big paws. If she tried to walk up now she could leave claw marks everywhere, or worse become unstable and fall down again. They needed something big and stable… "My shield!" He barked, almost a little too loud, before summoning the iconic floral-patterned disc. He hovered it, flat, just above the first step. His arms wobbled under sudden pressure as Tiger stepped up onto the shield, their back legs shifting weight from one to the other with clear excitement.

The walk up was gruelling , but not long, as Connie and Steven both flanked the sides of the shield to push it. Tiger's hooked claws on her two toes made tapping sounds on the wood below the entire way up.

By the time they reached the top Lion had already gone into Steven's room and Connie could feel a sweat building up across her forehead.

"You said Garnet and Amethyst should be here by tomorrow, right?" She panted tiredly, the pink thorn-decorated disc vanishing with a few sparkles of light while Steven ran his sleeve across his face.

It was a cozy room. Nothing flashy or deluxe, just a bed and a bedside table, with a big window who's blinds were pulled shut. Lion had his head stuck between them, nose pressed against the glass to stare outside, while Tiger peered inside with insatiable curiosity.

Her muzzle creased and bobbed, mimicking the heavy sniffing of a dog, as she took a cautious step inside. Connie pulled the door shut behind them with a little 'click'. Once everyone was inside, both herself and Steven collapsed on the bed with relieved groans.

"Steven, this isn't how I planned to be spending my weekend." To his delight, she was laughing. Quietly, behind a very drained smile, with her face sunk into the duvet. He grinned a big goofy grin, facing the ceiling with his arms spread in a starfish pose once more. “Yeah. Me neither.”

#su #suf #suf au #steven universe #steven universe au #connie mahaswaren #Tiger's eye #steven universe oc #su oc #gem oc #lion #keep in mind it's an AU not a direct follow on to the original show #there are changes #some might not make sense right away

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musicofglassandwords · 5 years ago

Text

snippet #11

In one heartbeat, the battle had exploded before her eyes. She pumped her legs, her boots hitting the ground hard, each step sending a painful jolt up her body.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, her skin tingling from the sting of the salt, but she ignored the pain, focusing on the task at hand.

Distract.

Battle.

Survive.

A dozen relentless soldiers stampeded across the field behind her. The legends of the guardians had clearly been unheard, and they sought her blood.

She ran on, leading them away from the heart of the battle. She knew that the idea of attacking a guardian alone would be too tempting for them to pass up. Pressing a hand to the wound in her side, she forged on.

As she sprinted away, the others were hard at work.

Across the field, soldiers were crumpling to the ground, an eerie blue light wrapping around them and twisting their armor around them. The sounds of the crumpling, warping metal crawled under her skin, mingling with the howls of agony filling the air, as the soldiers fell one by one.

Spikes of amethyst rose up from the lifeless ground, impaling their enemies before they had time to take a breath.

Amber halos wrapped around the soldiers dragging them to the ground, painting the field with death.

The screams in the air never ceased, the song of the wounded around her.

Pooling on the ground were rivers of blood, soaking into the lifeless terrain. Corpses tripped her up and hindered her path, out to get her even in death.

She gasped for breath, summoning the last remnants of her energy. The taste of iron filled her mouth as she stumbled over the rocky ground, pebbles flying out from under her feet. Scraggly, withered bushes hid her from enemy eyes as she scrambled up the hill.

Under her skin, her heart was pounding out a rhythm of fear and desperation. The pulses radiated throughout her body as her life’s blood drained out of her. She left behind a trail of crimson spots as she reached the top of the craggy hill.

There she paused and inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled.

And a brilliant halo of golden light enveloped her. Her eyes glowed with an inhuman ruthless fire, and she spun on her heel, flinging out a hand.

Radiant yellow flames blazed into the soldiers about to spear her through, and slammed them all down the hill.

From her vantage point she could see the entire battlefield. She could see the death and she could see the remaining sparks of life. Charging across the field were the guardians, still alive, still fighting, light burning around them.

There were so many.

Spreading her arms out, she closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. Brilliant rays of light whited out the world. Below her, the soldiers began writhing on the ground, clawing at their eyes, trying to escape the light.

Ella let out a breath and relaxed, the flames around her dimming down. Out of nowhere, a soldier sprang out from among the bushes. Flinging her to the ground, he drew his sword, standing menacingly before her.

Stars spun above her as her head knocked into the hard ground. The world spun and dipped before her and the tang of blood filled her mouth.

Barely managing to roll out of the way of his next blow, she staggered to her feet, stumbling back. He lunged for her again and ice-cold fear shot through her veins.

NO.

The spear landed an inch away from her neck and without thinking, she scrambled away, and ran straight off of the cliff.

She fell and fell and fell. Towards the hard reality of the earth below her.

She didn’t hear the sound of the whistling in her ears. Just the sound of the words she chanted to herself every day.

Trust. Trust. Trust.

“SETH!” someone hollered, and suddenly she was blinking in and out of space as Kyran teleported back and forth. She clung to him for a moment, then loosened her grip as he dropped her.

She fell again, waiting.

Trusting.

Then hovering before her was a boy who reached for her hands and swung her to the ground.

“Here we go,” Seth grinned, stepping in front of her as the last few soldiers rose up towards them. She rolled her eyes, and flicked a hand at them, flinging them all back into the ground with a flash of gold light.

“Why did you run off of the cliff?” he raised his eyebrows, “that was dangerous.”

Despite the pain radiating throughout her body, and her blurred vision and fear for the others, she smiled.

“I knew someone would catch me.”

Tagging: @lmorasey, @nomadian-novelist, @onthewingsofwords, @feathered-quill, @stories-by-rie @sunlight-and-starskies, @coffeeandcommas

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list!

#the vanished kingdom #my writing #writeblr #violetvineyard #snippet #young writer #writing

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rainsonata · 5 years ago

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Doppelgänger 5/15

Chapter 05: Smokes and Mirrors

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: M Word Count: 7,006

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —

----------------------------

Class Notes:

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

-----------------------------

Knight Emperor

He was floating, fading in and out of consciousness in the depths of the mind. When Knight’s mind surfaced, the pain returned to his sense, tiny needles streaming pass his pores. Red flashed past his vision and his eyes snapped open. His hands reached for his chest, feeling for a heart pulsing through. Heavy audible breaths and the smell of moss greeted the knight.

Cave, Knight grasped to make form a cohesive thought. He was trapped in a demon-infested cavern. Demons stronger than the ones he and his friends have fought in the past. The biggest one had geodes growing from is back and its insides - no, the demon was a crystal monster. It could have broken his spine into two if not for…

The red-haired knight held his gaze at the man in front of him. A scar in the form of a pink jagged line slashing downward, lanky limbs dangling to the sides, and translucent skin thin as parchment paper. Who was he? Why did he share the same face as Bringer, who was nowhere as thin or gangly as this stranger?

“Add?” He backed into a wall.

“Elsword!” Mad Paradox exclaimed.

“What are you doing here?”

“Elsword!”

“Why do you keep saying my name?” Knight was frustrated.

“Elsword!” He feigned disapproval. “Is that how you greet an old friend? This is the part where you thank me.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Or do you~?” Paradox sang.

Knight kept his lips sealed into a straight line. He knew Bringer, but he never met this man. This could be a trap. It was an attempt to get him to talk, that had to be the case. There was no hiding it that he was on his own and was vulnerable once cornered by multiple enemies. As the leader of the El Search Party, Knight was the perfect target because he had access to information about the El that any of their enemies would use to their advantage. If outsiders knew why they were in Demon Realm, that would put his friends in danger, a risk Knight wasn’t willing to test. Not after the effort they poured into rescuing him. He wasn’t going to put their efforts in vain without repaying them.

What was Paradox? He didn’t look like a Henir cultist with the purple and magenta color scheme in contrast to the black and electric blue monsters in Elrianode. Unlike Henir cultists, the time traveler acted by himself when the cultists always appeared in bigger groups with monsters in their wake. The black sclera reminded him of the demons in Lanox, but that couldn’t be it. His movements were too fluid to belong to those of a demon.

Ishtar was never going to let him off the hook if he was to ever suggest that demons lacked grace.

“Why the bleak face?” Paradox chuckled, “You can talk to me. I don’t bite.”

“Tell me what happened,” Knight wasn’t as convinced.

“Someone got lost and the cute monster said goodnight.”

“I fought demons and a bigger one,” Knight said with curtness.

“Avoidable battles if you weren’t running and screaming so much,” Paradox rolled his eyes, iridescence and mechanical in eerie uncanniness. “Why are Elbrats so loud?”

Jagged ridges graveled to the ceiling and the walls enclosing the cavern, paving uneven paths the Dark Agate left behind. Limestone lined the walls and peeled away. Crystals from the ground up and black ink blots painted the ground until coming to an abrupt halt midway to where Knight sat. His forearm was cracked with dry blood and scar tissue forming where it hurt the most, wincing when he stretched and pulled a tendon.

Crushed boulders trampled over, stalagmites and stalactites shattered into pieces and the ground weakened from the fight Knight had with the crystal monster. Pebbles crumbled under his boots into fine dust. The cave echoed with the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, sharp hisses from an unknown source unseen by the knight. He squinted for lines of purple amethysts, his gaze wandering to the ledge leading to the abyss below.

“Where’s the monster?”

“Gone.” Paradox teased, “Do you miss it already?”

Again with the all-knowing tone and shit-eating grin like they knew each other. This man was crazy acting like they were somehow connected. Calling himself an old friend and now commenting on his fighting style. How would Paradox know about why he preferred taking on his opponents first on first over sneaking around and avoiding fights? He was a knight, not an assassin.

Although… Paradox wasn’t wrong on pointing out the obvious. Hours of getting ambushed by demons placed a toll on Knight’s energy and resources. By the time he faced the Dark Agate, he was low on stamina and lacked the initial vitality he had at the beginning of his trek through the cave. Knight came in blind with the belief that it would fight like the smaller monsters, a beginner’s mistake that deserved much chastise. Perhaps he let his arrogance get into his head because a child was with him and Knight wanted to prove that everything would be okay.

Anger flickered in his core. How stupid could he be? It was no better than cutting corners in training for the sake of flashiness. There was a flash of pain replaced by numbness and a period of timeless nothingness, but he was…

“Alive,” Knight held up his hands. Fingerless gloves steeped in iron red, a reeking metallic smell mixed with his sweat. Whispering to himself, “I’m alive. How?”

“Can’t let the main character die in a side story, now, can I?” Paradox cackled.

Knight realized. He was rescued by Paradox, not unlike the many times Bringer watched his back in Elrianode. An explanation he pieced together with the minimal informal he had, but it failed to answer more persisting questions. The time traveler spoke in rhetoric suggesting the impossible, an observer from another realm.

Perplexed, Knight naturally wanted to ask more but stopped himself in realizing that would only result in more cryptic answers from the noodle spaceman. His answers were as vague as to how or why the El Search Party kept fighting brainwashed enemies for the past few years. One would think half of Elrios was brainwashed from the number of unavoidable fights they had.

“And the child?” Knight asked. Surely there was something of them left if he was alive. When Paradox didn’t answer, he yanked on the time traveler’s collar, forcing the other to lean down at his eye level. “What happened to them?”

Still smiling, Paradox laughed. “What child?”

“There was a child,” Knight explained. “They were with me, they-”

“Were they, now?” Paradox snickered. “A dangerous place for children to wander into such as yourself.”

“I’m eighteen years old,” he growled.

“Hardly a difference.”

“They were defenseless and I was the only one who could fight.”

He told them to stay close to him, hang on and let him take care of the Dark Agate. Leaving a child alone would have made them into an easy target for the crystal monster to pray upon. What option did Knight have without risking another life? In the end, he wasn’t strong and he had no one else to rely on. Not even someone who was as elusive as the child could avoid those shards when the monster let the lights out.

The child pulled no strains with their weight when Knight lifted them up, less than what one would expect for a child of their height and age. Up close, a deep scar marked against one side of their cheek, a zigzag and a pair of asymmetrical eyes. Black sclera identical to ones looking into Knight’s field of vision with a devious expression.

Horror breached Knight’s thoughts. No. No, no, no, no, no, please no. He knew fate had a crude sense of humor and loved irony, but he didn’t want to deal with this again. Dread prickled his tanned skin when a pair of black gloves held his chin up. The undersides were hot pink, almost red.

“You’re the child?” Knight choked.

Paradox clapped his hands and beamed, “Congratulations! You’re faster than the last Elsword.”

“I’ve been protecting an old man?”

“Twenty-one, brat.” Paradox laughed, “Did you enjoy my gift?”

The greatsword in Knight’s hand suddenly felt heavier in his hands, the redhead aware that its original owner was not present. This belonged to Rune, his counterpart. They were the same, yet there were distinctive differences that made them separate people. If Rune was here, the rest of the El Search Party couldn’t be far behind.

The blade held a shine and a thicker build than what Knight was used to, a type of metal favored by battle mages to amplify their magic. Sparks flew from the blade when struck against boulders. His counterpart chose to compensate for their shared weakness of magic, why didn’t Knight think of that?

“This isn’t mine,” Knight said.

“A little mix-up,” Paradox was less concerned about the details. “That fight you had with the demon took longer than I anticipated. You’re not ready for Rosso.”

“Ready for who?” Knight demanded to know.

Sharp pain seized his chest, his insides twisted. Knight hugged his stomach, reminding himself to keep his breaths even, fanning himself with his hand and leaning forward with his sword for support. He wiped his forehead and hugged his sides. Colors blurred in a mess of tears as Knight applied pressure to his forehead. He may be alive, but experience told him that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. The pain dulled into discomfort, persisting in his abdomens and chest. Knight lowered his head and wanted to throw up whatever Rage put into the dried meat.

Knight cursed.

“Oops, looks like the Time Sickness finally kicked in.” Paradox said with an unapologetic giggle.

Time what? Knight didn’t like the sound of that and turned pale, “What are you doing playing around with me? What did you do to me?”

“You still don’t get it?” Paradox feigned annoyance, lips curled up and showing his teeth. “Ah, right. It’s your first time. I’ll have to fix that.”

Lights went out.

Crystals glistened in the blackened space, magenta flashed in the form of Paradox’s suit and artificial eye. The sound of gravel and something cracking under pressure snapped Knight’s attention to the source, waving his sword in the uncomfortable darkness.

When the lights returned, the older man was no longer where he once was. Dark laughter flooded his eardrums in unison with unnerving cackling. Paradox emerged from the ceiling, head sticking out from a ripple in the dimension, torn into pieces for the time traveler to tinker with as he pleased. Below him was the Dark Agate holding the ominous lantern in its hand.

Paradox had a fluid gait, crossing his legs one over the other with the skill of an acrobat walking over a wire with fear absent in his stance. He lacked the guarded tension hallmark of most adventurers in a cave home to demons and monsters. Hands over the wall, manipulating Dynamo with the same familiarity Knight had with his sword.

Crystal shards rained down on Paradox, thin needles penetrating him with the older male barking an ugly sob and guffawing in pain. His body shuddered and his limbs went limp without struggling as the Dark Agate scooped him up, claws curled at Paradox’s chest. A loud crunch broke from the darkness.

Knight looked away. He wanted to hurl. It crushed Paradox like grains of sand, no time for the older man to even cry or choke before his life was stolen. The redhead drew his sword with unsteady hands, dread and tranquil anger sending sparks at his fingertips. Knight’s eyes fluttered to discover that the traveler’s body missing.

A dimension ripped open from above, sliding to where the monster was for gravitational spheres to downpour with intensity shaking the ground from the bottom up. Rough crystal formed at the edges of the portal and a figure dressed in black appeared, phase shifting next to Knight.

His left shoulder blade shattered into diamond shards; Paradox’s body lost visibility in shape and electricity emitted from his core. There were no holes in his clothes or blood to suggest he had been injured in the fight. It was as if Paradox was never wounded.

Paradox ripped open a portal with his hands, clawing at the edges with his hands. Pulling his foot into the entrance, he stretched and widened the portal with his arms and legs until it was the size of the Dark Agate. He reappeared from behind, generating energy and shoving the monster into the abyss. The older male moved the portal to the ground level as the opening shrunk in size. An arm was torn off from sharp edges applying pressure to the Dark Agate’s arm reaching out for them. Paradox kicked the still twitching arm and stomped until it ceased its movements and fell silent.

Knight gawked at the other man dusting blood off his sleeves, “Your spine. It snapped. The monster, you-”

“Awww, look at you.” Paradox cooed, “Seal of Time reduced you to an infant.”

“What was that?”

He grinned, "can’t die if you undo time on yourself."

That’s why they were alive after fighting that monster. Paradox unwinded their injuries and restored their lives. With powers like that, Paradox had time and luxury to learn the enemies’ tactics and won otherwise impossible battles. But why would he have an interest in keeping Knight alive? The time traveler cheated death more than once, but how much would that unhinge a person?

“What do you want from me?” Knight asked weakly.

“What kind of popcorn do you like?” Paradox didn’t answer, as usual.

Knight blinked, “I’m sorry, what?”

Apsara

Sky blue eyes glaring with intensity directed only to her. Azure locks flowed over their flawless features, too clear and smooth to belong to a person whose posture was accustomed to the battlefield. Light flashed under the melancholic moon. Her opponent summoned a wide array of spears, clashing against hers and sending white sparks flying like the fireworks she lit up at the summer festivals as a child.

The man standing before the spear user held a stand hand over his weapons, pointed spears emerging from his palms with ease. White gloves gripped over the pair of weapons, the color of glass reminiscent to the stairs and platforms in the Hall of El. Iridescent and emitting a blinding light, forcing Apsara to shield her eyes.

Was this man really Ain? He wielded a white gold pendulum with gold trims at the edges. His white attire and demeanor reminded her more of a mercenary than the priest Bluhen was, charging towards Apsara with no mercy at his disposal. There was no hesitance, going for her blind spots if she failed to cover her bases and stand guard. Projecting one spear after another, it was a macabre dance of blades, furrowed brows deepening in time to his precise footwork. Right foot up, left foot back, holding his stance and unflinching when Apsara pulled back and forced her weight against his.

“Don’t let him heal!” Chevalier shouted.

A lotus flower formed as Apsara spun her spear in a figure eight, launching the ball of energy and shoving her opponent back. Knocking Richter off his feet, Apsara smacked the priest with the end of her spear. She leaped into the air, performing a somersault midair and diving in to slam her weight against the man. Air escaped from Richter, choking on his saliva and struggled to break free. Apsara missed him by a mere hair and charged with her spear in hand, audible gasps rippled through the cold air as she attacked.

Richter gritted his teeth, anger flickered in his features. A forced serene facade masked over a fury reaching through his attacks. He fought a losing battle against four, but he persisted. Static surged from his palms and wind picked surrounded the man, drawing more blades and launching himself several meters into the air, turning his head to face his other opponents.

A tall Nasod dressed in white with a black helmet swung a chained sword, Oberon phase shifting and crossing blade with a heavy clang. Two drones floated midair, engaged in a transversal angle. Lasers blasted from the drones, spinning and converging energy aiming for their target.

“Tell us what happened to Elsword,” Esencia talked over the clashing blades.

Richter breathed heavy breathes, shoving Oberson’s head down and using his knee to hit the lower jaw, pushing the Nasod servant away. He fired deliberate projectiles to Esencia’s drones, hitting and shifting them at the base.

Apsara squeaked and ducked from a laser pointing to where her head once was. That was a close call! The spear user hung her head and sweated bullets. She was glad Esencia was on their side, but having the Nasod Queen’s attacks directed back was a terrifying thought for the young woman. Her hair remained frizzled from proximity to the energy beam, sinking her body and crawling over to Esencia to avoid another laser.

“Then you understand that he isn’t yours,” Richter spoke. A deep harsh echo carried in his voice, “Are you aware of the consequences for your actions?”

“He’s not with us,” Chevalier said. He and Ishtar circled the priest, keeping distance in a guarded stance, gun blades and soul spears ready for sudden movement.

“I wasn’t addressing you, Blue Demon.” Richter glared at the butler.

“How dare you talk to Ciel like that!” Ishtar pointed her soul spear at the priest, “What are you doing with a weapon you have no right to claim?”

Her wings wavered, a cyan blue membrane stretched over thin bone structures and beating the air with anger in the tiny demon’s features. Ishtar whined when her butler blocked her from lunging at Richter, fuming and crossing her arms.

“I apologize for that,” Chevalier said with equal iciness as the priest. “You must understand how important Elsword is to us. We just want to know how you came into possession of his sword.”

“Is that what this is about?” Richter pulled out the greatsword from his belt and sighed, “Humans and demons alike show unnecessary concern over materialistic things that hold no value. This weapon will not bring him back.”

Apsara protested, “Please, it’s important to him! If you’re Ain, why are you fighting us? Aren’t you friends with Elsword? I’m sure he wouldn’t want this!”

Recognition sparked from Richter’s expression, anger? Fear? Emotions alternating with one another before he settled for indifference and narrowed his eyes, “Ms. Fox in White. No, Devi. ”

Bluhen had abilities that garnered wariness from Eun’s end, but he was a patient man and did not judge when she asked him to explain something in simpler terms. He had a child-like wonder in everything that made him gained stares when they visited towns. After Bluhen nearly ran the team bank dry because he discovered cinnamon rolls, Apsara decided he was harmless. Anyone who had a sweet tooth couldn’t be all that bad, could they?

This stranger who responded to the name Ain… He stole Knight’s sword, gave them crude nicknames, and treated them like they were the enemy. Why did Richter call her by that name? Apsara wanted to believe there was a reason behind Richter’s behavior, but little emotions were revealed when Esencia asked what happened to Knight.

Be careful, Ara. A feminine voice whispered in the back of Apsara’s mind, I sense something about him.

What is it, Eun? Apsara asked, The Dark El?

No. The fox spirit paused, High levels of energy resonates from him, more than Ain. Let me take over.

Apsara shook her head, He must know something about Elsword if he has his greatsword.

Knight had to be nearby if his sword was found by someone else. There were others with Richter, their shapes unrecognizable in the shadows and concealed by the night. How many, she could not tell, but it was an impressive size, at least a dozen of them. Could they be humans the dark elves mentioned this morning?

Apsara quivered her lips, hard pressed in finding the positives in their situation. It felt like they were interrogating Richter instead of talking to an ally. Not unlike the shadows they have fought in Hamel and the Hall of El, Richter was averse to answering their questions, disdain was apparent in his brief and curt answers. But Richter was different. He held a will of his own and reason. Despite not drawing his weapons back, the priest had them lowered and was listening, even if reluctantly.

“If you know anything about what happened to Elsword, tell us!” Apsara pleaded, “We haven’t seen him in two days and we don’t know where he went!”

“I don’t know any of you.” Richter said with an even tone, “And I’ve never met this Elsword of yours. Elsword is with you-”

“Which one?” Esencia asked.

Ishtar mused. “Having more than one Elsword makes this conversation confusing.”

“Where did you find the sword?” Chevalier asked, “If I may ask.”

“In the forest,” Richter replied. “You have my duplicate with you, but he failed to find it before me? Are you done interrogating?”

No use, Apsara lowered her head in defeat. If only Knight was here…maybe Richter would have listened. The redhead was good with words and preventing situations from escalating like Empire, but neither of the Sieghart siblings was present. What would Empire do if she was here? Would she smile and reassure Richter or put her foot down and lay down what needed to be accomplished to make the discussion work? Empire made talking to people look easier than it actually was!

“Ain had a lot on his mind,” Apsara clutched her hands around her spear. “I’m sure you do too!”

“Your Elsword is not with me,” Richter tensed. “Where is Mr. Half-Nasod with no shirt?”

Rage Hearts? The mercenary escaped with the rest of the El Search Party because of the sudden appearance of their opposites. Were they really mirrors of themselves? From the few members Apsara had met, they were strong-willed, unwavering on their opinions and determined to retrieve Rune. It was true that Rune wasn’t their leader, but he was still Elsword, so maybe he could be helpful in helping them find Knight.

If Knight wasn’t with Richter, where could he be? Was he lost in the forest somewhere surrounded by demons, waiting for them to find him? Empire tried contacting him through their communicators for hours, but no one picked up. Were they too late that something happened to him? Or was he taken somewhere far and away from where the connection between them has weakened?

Knight had to be alive, she mumbled a prayer and pursed her lips. If something happened to him, Empire would be left with no family, just like her. Apsara couldn’t bare to see the knight captain suffer, not after everything they have gone together.

Apsara breathed, “You’ll have to catch up with our friends if you want to see Raven.”

“Noted.” Richter vanished from the crowd encircling him, appearing behind Apsara, “Then I understand that I must take on those that defy the goddess.”

With projectile weapons materializing in his palms, energy surged as Richter leaped. Six spears encircled the priest, casting them to where her spine was. Apsara turned and raised her spear, but Chevalier beat her to it, shielding the attack with a cross-shaped gunblade larger than the butler. Ishtar launched herself into the air, soul spears forming at her fingertips to counteract Richter’s. The priest backed away to the sight of Esencia and Oberson joining the demon sovereign in the fight, back to back with the Nasod Queen giving orders to her servants.

“What is he doing?” Ishtar growled.

“I think we angered him,” Chevalier ushered her to stand behind his gunblade. “Get ready for cover!”

Blue lines shone from above, a paradigm grid forming and crossing over in loops and lines into an array of magic circles. Raised in the air was Richter looking down and weapons materializing for the priest to grasp in his hands, more floating beside him. Spears and projective weapons showered down as the magic circles glowed.

Apsara twirled in a half-step, using her spear to leap away from the countless weapons crashing down her path, using her weight to pull herself from harm’s way. She nearly tripped over falling debris, scrambling to pull herself up and dodge a spear aiming for her foot. The earth shook in vibration to the intensity of their battle. Tucking her spear under her arms, Apsara curled her body into a tight ball and rolls away. She overheard Esencia throwing commands to Oberon and Ophelia to help Ishtar and Chevalier.

Her feet barely touching the ground, Esencia hovered with a raised arm. “Heaven’s Fist!”

The Nasod queen grabbed her roughly by the shirt, lifting and pushing Apsara away. She landed behind Ishtar and Chevalier. Clothes torn from the fight and suffered a few cuts, but the demon and butler were otherwise unharmed.

A Nasod arm raised in unison with Esencia, descending as she gave the command. The giant mechanical arm sent shockwaves as it crushed its sole target. Dust and debris clouded her vision and made Apsara gag, waving her hand and covering her mouth. Once things began to clear, she could make out the outline of a tall figure.

A swordsman in a white hooded jacket trimmed with black fur and a tan complexion emerged from the settled dust. His blade was of a blue metallic, its handle grip wrapped in black ribbons held by his left arm. Gold eyes hardened when they formed eye contact.

“Raven,” Esencia identified the man.

“Eve,” Blade lowered his blade. “I see you have found one of our comrades.”

Apsara gasped in seeing the older male. That look again; she was worried. It held the same disdain Richter gave her. Apsara wasn’t used to being at the receiving end of scorn and indifference. It took her a moment to recognize that Blade’s left jacket sleeve cut around the shoulder area to make room for a mechanical but sleeker Nasod arm. She had almost mistaken the arm for a human one with how smooth and fluid its movements were. Blade used his Nasod arm to wield his sword, a contrast to Rage.

Arm pulled over Blade’s shoulder, Richter limped in his walk. His hair lost its shine and returned to a darker shade of the sky. Cuts and bruises decorated his skin exposed to the elements.

“You took too long,” Richter said.

“We’re limited on members,” Blade replied. “Can you still walk?”

Richter nodded.

“Let’s go,” Blade pulled out a sphere from his jacket pocket and tossed it at their feet.

Mist evaporated, dense fog obscuring their vision. Apsara reached for where the two men once were, only to run her hands through nothing. Gone. Where have they disappeared? The young woman turned to see her friends following her.

“They’ll be back,” Esencia said. “Raven is not one to run away.”

“Diplomacy seems to be out of the question,” Chevalier rubbed his head. “Not ones to talk, are they?”

“Did you see the way Ain talked to us?” Ishtar fumed. “He looked down at us like we were inferiors!”

We need to be cautious, Eun warned her. They could be planning something.

I know, Apsara thought with sadness. Would things have worked differently if she was more cautious in her words?

Sensing her distress, Eun reassured the young woman. You did what you could. No time to regret what has been done.

Apsara looked into the mist with sadness.

Furious Blade

Blade rested his head against the base of a tree not too far to where they have encountered their friends’ counterparts. There were at least four of them when Blade found Richter cornered by them, weapons raised. Sweat patched over his forehead, the older male looked up to one of the Demon Realm’s numerous moons, clenching his Nasod arm into a tight fist and releasing. Wiggling his left digits left a tinge of an emotion Blade hasn’t felt since he last saw his father. Wonder and amazement to how human-like the motions were, no longer claws gripping over his palm.

Calibrated to be sensitive to the slightest touch, it processed information from its owner as quickly as a natural one would, maybe faster. It was one of Dominator’s better inventions that didn’t involve lasers, although the scientist proclaimed he was more than happy to change that. Mentions of an auto-tracking rocket arm were the last straw where Blade had to put his foot down. Ultimate’s suggestions for spears wasn’t helping things either. The swordsman let out an audible sigh on his teammates’ lack of tact. Let him use his arm for its intended purpose!

“What were you doing fighting four people at once?” Anemos applied pressured over Richter’s open wounds with a cotton ball.

“They had Elsword,” Richter replied.

“You should have ran away or called for backup!” She snapped, “One of us could have come and helped!”

The priest did not protest but kept his head lowered. Lips visibly quivering, his shoulders shook as Richter let out shallow gasps from the short sprint they endured. It was a rare event for the celestial to use his feet to run rather than using external forces to propel himself off the ground. There were limited magical sources for Richter to rely on, forcing him into making pragmatic decisions in saving his energy for more immediate matters.

Blue hair drenched in sweat and red dirt, he reminded Blade of a demon plant minus the deadly neurotoxins. His skin flushed pink and had glassy eyes, blinking rapidly and mumbling prayers to an unseen being Blade had lost faith to years ago. Richter was strong, but his unbreaking loyalty reminded him of the comrades he once worked with, before Owen…

“And they didn’t let you see the brat?” Dominator looked up from his screens. “Who did you see?”

“Elsword wasn’t with them,” Blade frowned.

Anemos and Dominator caught him up with the details of what happened when they came into contact with their counterparts. They caught Richter in possession of something that belonged to one of their friends. Pleads and excuses were lost amid the fighting and confusion. The swordsman rubbed his forehead in frustration when he caught sight of his alternate throwing Rune over their shoulder. Of course it had to be his counterpart, Blade looked up to see a dark sky. The universe seemed to enjoy pitting him against himself on more than one occasion. Hopefully, this Raven will be more open to reason than the previous ones.

“Both of the Demons were there.” Richter pressed his hand over another cotton ball over his opened wound as Anemos wrapped a bandage over. His lips tightened into a straight line, “and Ms. Fox.”

Lights flickered out from Dynamo, holographic screens dissipated into thin lines and Dominator stopped typing. The scientist turned to Richter, mumbling to himself and biting his lower lip in anger. Dynamo twitched in unison with their master, blinking purple light that made it distracting for Blade to watch without closing his eyes.

“She’s with them?” Dominator cursed, “Of all luck to deal with her.”

“Do we really have to fight her?” Anemos rested her hand over her brow.

“What else will it be?” Dominator growled, “That’s what she does. Have you seen what they’ve done to this guy?”

Richter leveraged his arm to test for pain, pressing his finger over the bandage with a light tap and twisting his wrists for movement. Potions and elixirs sped up the healing process, but it didn’t ease the tension between them in seeing the injuries on their teammate. If Blade hasn’t found Richter earlier, how long would the priest last in a fight? Richter was easily outnumbered by well-coordinated fighters with years of experience. Blade didn’t expect anything less from their alternates. Their numbers and adaptability were what made them strong. Close bonds only made that more so.

“Elsword isn’t with them, so shouldn’t we reprioritize whether to fight them?” Richter asked. “It’s clear that their motive is to separate us from the others to reduce our number.”

“We can’t ignore the possibility of her going after our friends,” Blade said. “Our fight at the very least will slow her down.”

“That’s a bleak outlook,” Anemos commented. “Have more faith in us.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust our efforts,” Blade rubbed his neck. “It’s our luck.”

It couldn’t be helped that they would have to confront their counterparts, but that didn’t make it any easier for Blade to accept without thinking of the possibilities. Another unavoidable fight, he thought with bitterness. It was going to be troublesome sorting things out, especially with himself. The last time Blade tried to reason with himself ended with ruffled tail feathers and a one sided fight.

“Then what is our objective?” Richter asked.

“Slow down their progress,” Blade said. “Don’t let them catch up with the rest of their group. If you can take them down, do it. We don’t want to prolong a fight and waste our resources if it’s something that can be helped.”

Brutal words, but pragmatic in a situation such as theirs. They hardly had the luxury to adjust to their new environment before they encountered the other El Search Party. It was uncertain how long their alternates have stayed in the Demon Realm, but it was evident that they were more familiar with their environment from their strategic placement and movement. They were at a disadvantage going against a group that was more familiar with their surroundings than they were.

“Why are you looking at me for answers?” Blade gripped his blade, his fingers trembling over the handle.

Dominator scoffed, “you’re always bossing us around like we’re children.”

“So we leave as quickly as we come.” Anemos mused, “and what about Ara?”

Blade turned pale. Right… a strategy to combat the woman who shared Devi’s face. Luckily, the alternates wore different clothes, so they couldn’t mistake them as their own teammates, but it didn’t make fighting them any easier. Apsara was still a skilled fighter and would likely be as brutal as her counterpart if given a reason to be.

“Ms. Fox-in-White is the most dangerous in close combat,” Richter said. “The Demons are more synchronized.”

If Ultimate was here, Blade would have sent her to fight Apsara, but she was with Flame and Phantom. Splitting their party into smaller groups had the advantage of covering more ground, but it was important that there was at least one person with the ability or technology to detect Elsword. Dominator would be just as sufficient in keeping distance between himself and the martial artist. His drones could be meddlesome for close-range fighters.

“That sounds like our friends all right.” Anemos adjusted her gloves. “Is there anything else we should know about who we’re fighting?” Anemos asked.

The priest glanced at Dominator to the side, hesitant in his answer. “Ms. Empress is with them.”

“The Queen?” Dominator drawled, hands clasped and fingers crossed. “Tell me more.”

Confused by the scientist’s sudden eagerness, Richter threw a quizzical look to Dominator.

“Three more Nasods were with her,” he reported. “One is tall and carries a sword, another uses projectiles, and there was a little one with her.”

The Nasod Scout? The appearance of the smaller Nasod flashed in Blade’s mind. Hoisted by claw-like appendages, it crawled on its fours like a crab and used its size to attack unexpected enemies. Esencia having control over multiple Nasods was new, but the return of the Nasod Scout was relieving news. At least not everything about their alternates was completely different.

“They move on their own accord and wait for orders. They won’t fight unless she’s nearby,” the priest continued, “Ms. Empress has the most drastic change in how she fights.”

The description eerily resembled the Nasods under Adam’s command. They were weak, but their creator mass-produced them at an alarming rate. Ultimate didn’t have that ability, so Blade prayed that the same applied to this Eve. The swordsman was not as enthusiastic as Dominator about the possibility of fighting Nasods again.

“Lu, Ciel, Ara, and Eve.” Anemos murmured, “And they work well together from what Ain told us. Who will go after Elsword in the meantime?”

“Eve said she’ll run scans for him and Elsword.” Blade said, “Lu and Ciel might be further from them, but they’ll be on the lookout as well.”

“If this fight is too much for you, then allow me to take on the Queen.” Dominator grinned, “You can deal with the fox.”

Blade twitched at the transparent excuse. Using Esencia as an excuse to avoid fighting Apsara… No tact whatsoever, the older man covered his eyes with his Nasod hand. Although with the scientist’s extensive knowledge of Nasods, a fight against Esencia would reel positive results. They would be evenly matched because of Dominator’s drones and Nasods.

“I oppose,” Richter raised his hand.

“You haven’t even listened to my perfect plan yet!” Dominator jabbed a finger at the blue-haired man, “Is it your life objective to disagree with every statement I make?”

A faint line curled at the corner of Richter’s lips, subtle but distinctive for the otherwise stoic priest.

Dominator groaned, “Can’t even complete a sentence without Mr. Holy-Art-Thou over here to rain on my parade!”

“Have you finally caught up on modern language, Mr. Ancient?” Richter taunted the man in white.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Anemos walked between the two men and turned to Dominator. “You can fight Eve, but don’t forget why we’re here.”

Whether it was the strange gleam in Anemos eyes - usually reserved when the El Search Party trailed off-track, or because of the unsettling aura the elf gave off when her patience was wearing thin, she was effective in maintaining peace in their group. She didn’t have the charisma Rune had or the sternness Blade established from years of being in the army, but she always seemed to know the right words. A simple nudge or phrase from her was all it took to get them back on track and focus on their goal.

The scientist froze, blinking upon realization to who he was talking to. Dominator smiled and nodded, but a rare sign of timidness was there, not unlike one of a child caught red-handed with arms deep in the cookie jar. Blade snorted at the mental image and comparison.

Richter’s reaction was more subtle. There was less vanity in his expression, but it was hard to tell with the man who kept his emotions close to his chest.

“If Mr. Ancient fights Ms. Empress, then I’ll take the Demons.” Richter said.

“Are we fighting them individually?” Anemos asked, “We’ll be spreading ourselves too thinly.”

“It will weaken them as well,” Richter disagreed. “They’re strong because they’re together.”

“Wasn’t it the other you who ran off with the brat?” Dominator looked at the swordsman, chuckling to himself. “Almost didn't recognize the other you with all the white hair. It’s a shame we missed an opportunity to analyze a fascinating tool. The power readings Dynamo gave me are nothing like what I’ve seen.”

“We’re not fighting myself,” Blade said with curtness in his tone.

It wasn’t that he feared himself - Blade was past the point of being fearful after the mess they left behind in Elrianode, but it was irking to see a reflection of himself staring back at him. The same angular face painted with a tired expression, aged with years of fighting and traveling.

It was a brief moment, no less than maybe five or six seconds, but Blade’s eyes fell over to the arm. Black as a crow, crimson streaks bled over his alternate’s arm. Gold tips painted over Rage’s claws; spikes ripped out from the shoulder and forearm. The arm looked more demonic than Nasod, pulsating and contrasting rhythmically to its host’s breathes. It was alive .

“I gave our friends information about what to do if they have to face me.” Blade said, “Our goal is to save Elsword, not fight our counterparts to the bone.”

“Then I guess we have no choice but to follow your lead, huh, gramps?” Dominator cocked his head to the side with a sly grin.

Why was everyone insistent on giving him unnecessary nicknames? Each one was as ridiculous as the last, sometimes making no sense at all. Twenty-nine years was hardly old if he was comparing himself to Ultimate and Anemos, although one would think Richter was a century years old from how he talked.

“Do you really think this is our only option?” Anemos asked.

“I don’t know,” Blade admitted. “One of us just attacked them and are making demands they can’t give into. In their eyes, we’re the enemy and I might have to agree with them.”

The elf woman looked at him with sadness.

Blade knew he wasn’t wrong. Like many regretful decisions, there was no pulling back on what already happened. The swordsman wasn’t going to waste his time getting angry over Richter for initiating a fight with themselves. If Seris was still alive and was kidnapped instead of Rune, Blade would have done the same with worse repercussions. Unlike Richter, he wasn’t surrounded by good company when he was at his worse.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think this fight will end differently than you anticipated.” Anemos giggled, “I’m sure Elsword will let the other Raven know what he thinks about our situation.”

He snorted. Rune was going to talk his kidnappers’ heads off until dawn broke if given the chance, but the imagery was enough to garner a faint smile from Blade.

“Are we leaving?” Richter asked.

“Yes,” he pulled his blade out. “Let’s go.”

-----------------------------------------------

Author Notes: As you may have noticed, it has been a while since I uploaded a new chapter. Without going too much into detail about my life, my schedule has changed and I won't have a lot of time to work on fanfics. In addition, I no longer play Elsword as much because of new interests and due to CP restrictions in the newer dungeons. I will see what I can do to finish this fanfic, but future updates will come slower. Thank you for your patience and for all of your support!

#elsword #eltag #mywriting #my writing #elsword fanfiction #Elboy (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elsword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)#doppelganger

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travistalks · 5 years ago

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A Red Door Painted Black

The city smoldered beneath the clouds. Black smoke rose to mix with white wisps and the world before Aelina was painted grey. Through the billowing plumes, squinting and shading her eyes from the rising morning sun, she could see verdant waters capped with white foam. Tiled roofs of homes and shops and palaces spread out on cramped, winding streets and twisting canals far below. But nothing seemed to stir. Only the fire lived. It raged and danced across the rooftops, carried onward by the wind. Her attack had come in the hour before daybreak. Surprise will aid you, Aelina told herself. The sleepers will not be stirring and the guards will never see the black underbelly of the winged beast against the pitch sky. The moon was hiding behind black clouds when she made her descent. A thousand thousand fires burned below her in windows and hearths, but they were an army of ants against her mighty beast. She bathed the bay in radiant reds and oranges. The wooden fleets broke and burst into tiny splinters. The walls shattered into pebbles. And the palaces crumbled against the monster’s hot breath. The bells never rang. Not for danger. Not for surrender. They were silent, lifeless. Like the Titan that stood motionless, almost dead. Aelina circled the city, painting the red, brown and grey stones black. She turned toward the Free City’s last guardian. She bathed its shield and sword and helmet in wrings of red fire and swore she heard it scream in terror as its head and torso exploded into pieces. A long, low moan bellowed from the churning sea, as her massive fleet appeared on the horizons. Quickly, they crawled beneath the melting, buckling legs of the giant and swarmed the islands and docks of the floating city-state. She landed near the Palace of Truth. The ancient structure, testament to the power of the Braavosi’s system of governance, was smoldering and split in two. The green copper domed roof had collapsed in on itself. She had grown intimate with the smell of charred bones, blistered stone, and melted coin, and it filled the air with a pungent, abnormal, familiar smell. Aelina swung her high black boots over the beast’s saddle and dropped to the cobblestones, her red armor glistening in the arching sun. Her inky-black hair swirled behind her and her cloth-of-gold cape snapped in the wild breeze. A column of soldiers marched toward her. The Fiery Hand of R’hllor flapped on tall poles above their ornate armor and orange robes, and the men carried long spears in the shape of flames that seemed to blaze and whirl in the sun. She turned and pierced them with her onyx eyes and they halted. A solitary figure strode forward. He went to one knee and bowed his head before her. “My queen,” Shakar smirked. “Braavos is yours.” “Did any ship escape?” Aelina asked. “No, your grace. Our fleet waited in the fog, as you commanded. Once we heard the first burst of dragonfire, we were on their defenders before they could muster. Those who escaped were pursued. They are now drowned and dead.” “What about the birds? Did any take flight?” “Our archers shot all they saw. Even the pigeons,” he laughed. “Good, commander. I can’t risk word reaching Westeros.” She bid him rise. “Walk with me.” “If I may, your grace. It’s no doubt the Westerosi know of your many victories. They’ve heard the stories. I hear they watch the east, waiting for a third conqueror to appear.” The dragon has three heads. She paused for a moment. Am I the third? Aegon and his sisters. The mother of dragons. Me. She stopped and stared up at him. Shakar was six and a half feet tall. He looked like a giant shadow looming above her, blackened from behind by the bright sun. His golden locks, speckled with patches of salt and pepper, waved in the hot air and he stared back through ice-blue eyes. “I know they wait for me,” Aelina responded. “But Braavos was the last of the great cities to stand against me. Westeros may be watching, but they are not prepared.” The old king - who had been called Bran the Broken - had died only two years past. Some said he had ruled for eighty years. Maybe a hundred. Some said he crawled into a tree and protected the realm still. Ever watchful over the Seven Kingdoms. It mattered not. She was Aelina the Defiant. Blood of the freehold. The last dragon. A shy, timid girl found wandering among the smoking ruins of Old Valyria. She was anointed by the Red God as Azor Ahai Reborn Anew. She was the Stallion Who Mounts the World, or so she was told the Dothraki had prophesied once. What were their names? she asked herself. Kinvara? Benerro? Moqorro? They were the ones who saved me, who found me, who sheltered me, who told me these things. But their lights had gone out. Not long after they brought her to Volantis, to the Red Temple, their magic waned and their order disbanded. And the red priests and priestesses had removed their glowing gems and died out as the long summer descended upon the world. Aelina’s power, however, only grew with each passing year. In the long absence of the red order, slavers came with chain and collar, with whip and wheel and took back what they claimed was theirs by rights. Their power and might crept across Essos, until all the Free Cities were under their yoke. Even Braavos, the Secret City, was pressed down by the slavers’ heavy boots. For years, she hid behind Kinvara’s last gift, an ancient magic that allowed her to change appearance. Only death can pay for life, the red priestess offered. Take it. Men and women cried out but Aelina did not stir. She was only a girl, alone in the world. East and east she fled. Until she came upon a great mountain and a long lake. Womb of the World, she thought it was called. Mother of Mountains. There in an abandoned city, she lived her long days, staring into the flames, dipping her naked body into the cool waters, and staring up at the open sky with its sun and moon and stars. Once, she glimpsed a red comet, hanging low in the sky. It crawled across the sky, east to west. She traced her hand over its tail and wept. That very night, alone in the desolate waste of the vast grasslands, a voice spoke to her through the brazier. Remember who you are, the woman demanded. The dragons know. Do you? As she tossed and turned, trying to find the woman’s face, an old dream came to her of a gaunt dragon dressed in silks with silver-gold hair and lilac eyes, wielding a borrowed sword. You don’t want to wake the dragon, do you? it snarled and snapped at her. Wake the dragon... wake the dragon... wake the dragon... she dreamed. The next morning, she rose in defiance. With fire and blood. She walked - barefoot and bloody - back to Volantis. At the Red Temple, the few who remained, huddled in the darkness and hiding from the chains, begged her to save them. To lead them. To free brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. And the children. They placed a silver crown on her head. Its points were wrought like flames and its band was decorated with colored gems - amethyst and opal, emerald and onyx, topaz and tourmaline, ruby and amber, obsidian and pearl. In her hand, they placed a blade of curved Valyrian steel. They dipped it in blood and called Lightbringer when it burst into flames. She raised it high above her head and men and women chanted Lightbringer, Lightbringer, Lightbringer as they spilled forth from the temple. She swept east with a vast host at her back - the remnants of the Red God’s army and the many slaves and smallfolk who came to her side. They fought beneath the pyramids of Meereen, but the slavers - emboldened by the death of the long-forgotten Dragon Queen - pushed them back. That’s when the old dragon appeared, a growing shadow on the western sky. The beast eclipsed the sun and descended on the slavers in a blind rage. He torched the city and all its inhabitants. Stones tumbled down from atop the high pyramid, crushing the masters and breaking their whips and wheels. At Daznak’s Pit, the mammoth beast laid his head and long neck low into the sand and beckoned her forward. She struggled up his thick, swollen neck, her soldiers pushing her up and up until she mounted him and cried out a word. He took flight, his great arms and legs and wings smashing the stones of the fighting pit as he climbed. He turned back on the ancient arena and baked it back into the earth. On to Yunkai and Astapor they flew. The dragon melted stone. Then they marched on Qarth and the greatest city that ever was and ever will be was no more. Next Aelina turned back west and Mantarys was crushed. Even Old Volantis couldn’t stand against her red ruin. They shattered the sea walls of Lys and leveled Tyrosh and Myr. Her army and navy smashed Qohor and Norvos and Lorath, but Pentos she left as her own prize. There, she burned magisters and their many mansions from atop the old creature. Now, it was Braavos’ turn. The last Free City - or so it had once been called. Next, it would be Westeros. The land of green hills and blue rivers, white knights and black crows would have its day. She would free the lands her ancestors once conquered. The realm that had rejected the girl Daenerys Targaryen. At a dock on the Green Canal, a ship waited to carry Aelina through the winding gullets of Braavos. They wound east and turned south toward the Long Canal before heading west then north into the open bay of the lagoon. She saw the House of Black and White burning. “The Sept Beyond the Sea and the Temple of the Moonsingers as well,” Shakar informed her. All along the waterfront, buildings burned and the survivors’ screams were silenced by sharp, swift swords. A thousand fires burned north and south, east and west. Harbors and watchtowers. The Fishmarket and the Drowned Town. Bridges were broken and waterways were filled with corpses. The islands seemed alive though, like mountains aflame and spewing smoke. Like Old Valyria, she dreamed. I remember it. But the Temple of the Lord of Light, like the vast one in Old Volantis, was spared. “Have our forces gather there,” Aelina had ordered. “We’ll use it to plan my invasion of Westeros.” They landed there and crossed a long bridge. Her men had to help her find a clear path through the untold destruction. She stared forward, waiting to see the palace. If I look back, I am lost. Ahead was the Iron Bank of Braavos. The gilded powerhouse, filled with coffers of gold and iron coin, had been smashed into rubble and ruin. Her soldiers were clearing the debris and digging deep beneath the rock, searching for caverns and vaults of treasure. “Let the men have the gold,” Aelina offered. “I have no need for it. I don’t mean to purchase my victory.” Beyond the Moon Pool - now filled with a blood tide - was the long causeway and columns of the peninsula that led to the Sealord’s Palace. Atop its splendid high roof, the old dragon waited. He snapped his tail and the golden thunderbolt spinning on the tall spire was struck. It twisted, toppled, and crashed to the ground. A few soldiers emerged from behind the thick front door. “The way is secure. All are dead.” “Leave me, commander,” Aelina held out a hand. “Take your men. The dragon will protect me.” Shakar bowed and told the men to spread out. “We will be close, my queen.” Slowly, she floated through the ornamented doors. Inside, the rooms were charred, the glass windows shattered, and the paintings and tapestries burned or crumpled into heaps on the marble floors. Many bodies lay strewn at her feet. Out of the darkness, she emerged onto a long bridge connecting the large building with a watchtower and the main house on a separate isle. On and on she walked. Through beds of blood and flickering flames. At last she reached the gardens. Animals called out to her from cages. Some were loose and running wild, trying to escape the inferno. A few jumped into the sea and swam away. The menagerie, she smiled. The lemon tree. I remember it. Wildflowers and hedges and ancient trees swayed in the breeze, beckoning her home to a scorched land. Fountains were cracked and the fresh water spilled and covered grass and stone, washing away some of the raging fires. The red ruby pulsed at her neck. The gold chain was tight about her copper skin and the jewel burned even in the heat of the day. It will give you life, the red priestess had promised. Long, long life. And protection. Like it gave me, like it gave all of R’hllor’s champions, she had said as she slipped away from this world. But it is a chain, a knot to bind you to the here and now, Kinvara had warned. And it will burn. Fire cannot kill a dragon, Aelina remembered. Who said that? Was it me? She had forgotten. It was a different girl, a different age, a different time, a different land. But the words, the words still echoed in her mind. The truth was hidden somewhere in the deep darkness. Through mists, she could see faces with her third eye. A long handsome face, sad and cold and aged, sometimes stared back from the flames. A beautiful queen with long auburn hair and vivid blue eyes, wrinkled and grey and long since dead. A girl with many faces looked west, her many eyes shut. A small man rested in a cavernous tomb beneath a mighty rock. Who were they? she always asked herself. I know their faces, but I forget their names. The girl she had been would remember; the woman she was had no need for such reminders. I am no longer that girl, she thought. I am a woman, born again but not the same. The Red God’s followers had once called her Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. Mother of Dragons. Breaker of Chains. Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. The Silver Queen. The Unburnt. Mysha. Remember who you are, Daenerys. The dragons know, a haunted voice called out. Do you? She removed the glamour and tossed it into the writhing flames. A dragon is not a slave, she smiled, sadly. I will be bound no longer. To the magic or the name. The chain and ruby did not melt, however. She watched it for a very long time, then knelt and picked it up. It was cold to the touch, and she gripped it tightly in her fist, trying to break it. The gem glowed and throbbed. It called to her. I will use it, she decided. It will not use me. Behind the spells, she was just an old woman with long silver-gold and white hair streaked with shades of darkening grey. Her black eyes lifted their veil to peak through the violet eyes of her ancestors. She was tired and weary of the path laid before her, but her heart was a fire and that fire was made flesh. The old dragon circled above and spread his huge black leather wings flapping them violently and roaring toward the heavens. The beating spurred the flames to rise higher and higher and higher until they swirled upward, reaching out toward the midday sun. At the center of the fury, she paused as if trapped in the eye of some gloriously awful storm sent by the gods. The wind died down. The world calmed around her and the flames languished and became small again. A lemon fell to the ground and rolled to touch her feet. Half of it was singed. Before her stood the house. But its red door was painted black.

#asoiaf #asongoficeandfire #got #gameofthrones #daenerystargaryen #dany #motherofdragons #fanfic #fanficwriting #fanfiction

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foxglove-the-never-fairy · 7 years ago

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Fairy Names

Fly with you! Do you have a fairy character you wish you could name? Maybe you’re writing a Disney Fairy fanfic and need names? Maybe you miss the name generator from Pixie Hollow online. Or maybe you just want some names.

Well you’re in luck. I’ve pulled all the names available from “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue” in the create-a-fairy section of the game. I’m pretty sure these were the exact names available on Pixie Hollow online as well since players were able to upload their fairies into the game.

Now I did get rid of names that are already in use from canon characters (that includes characters from The Never Girls series) and I got rid of repeat names with different spellings and only picked one(like Ashleigh and Ashley). They are arranged in alphabetical order from first name, middle name, and last name.

I hope you enjoy!!!!!!!

~🧚🏻‍♀️🔥 Foxglove

(First)

Abigail

Acorn

Alexa

Alexia

Ali

Alina

Amber

Amethyst

Amy

Anastasia

Apricot

April

Aria

Arianna

Ash

Ashley

Autumn

Barbara

Bayberry

Bellflower

Bethany

Betsy

Bim

Bonnie

Breezy

Buttercup

Camellia

Camille

Carnation

Carrie

Carrot

Cecile

Celeste

Charity

Charlotte

Chestnut

Chickadee

Chipmunk

Chocolate

Cinnamon

Clover

Cobweb

Coconut

Coriander

Cornflower

Crabapple

Cranberry

Cricket

Crystal

Cupcake

Cypress

Daffodil

Dahlia

Dandelion

Daphne

Dawn

Daybreak

Daylily

Dew

Dewdrop

Ebony

Echo

Ella

Elma

Elva

Emerald

Emily

Emma

Eve

Faith

Fantasia

Fauna

Fiery

Flax

Flix

Flora

Foxglove

Frances

Gardenia

Ginkgo

Gloria

Gloriosa

Happy

Harmony

Hazel

Heather

Heidi

Helen

Hickory

Holly

Honey

Hope

Hurricane

Hyacinth

Indigo

Infinity

Iris

Isabelle

Jade

Jamie

Jayla

Jeanie

Jenny

Jessamine

Jillian

Joy

Julie

Juniper

Karina

Karma

Kate

Kelly

Kenzie

Kiki

Kiwi

Kobi

Koko

Kylee

Kyra

Labyrinth

Lala

Lark

Laurel

Lauren

Lavender

Layla

Lemony

Lenora

Libby

Lila

Lilac

Liri

Lizzy

Lorella

Lori

Lucia

Lucky

Lucy

Lulu

Lynn

Maddie

Magenta

Magpie

Mahogany

Margo

Marigold

May

Melanie

Melody

Mia

Milkweed

Minerva

Miranda

Misty

Moptop

Mudpie

Mulberry

Muriel

Nectarine

Newt

Nightfall

Nightshade

Nissa

Nutmeg

Octavia

Olive

Olivia

Onyx

Opal

Orchid

Oregano

Oriole

Pandora

Paprika

Parsley

Patchwork

Peachy

Peanut

Pearl

Pecan

Penelope

Persimmon

Petunia

Pineapple

Pistachio

Pluma

Poplar

Posy

Primrose

Prinna

Prudence

Pumpkin

Quicksilver

Quinn

Rachel

Raven

Rhodie

Rhonda

Rhubarb

Rill

River

Robin

Rosa

Rose

Rosemary

Ruby

Saffron

Sahara

Sally

Sapphire

Sarah

Sassafras

Savannah

Seaweed

Serendipity

Shanna

Sienna

Silver

Skyler

Sneezy

Snowflake

Sophie

Sprinkles

Stargazer

Stella

Stormy

Strawberry

Sundew

Sunflower

Sunrise

Sunset

Sunshine

Tamara

Tangy

Tansy

Tessa

Tiger

Tiny

Toadstool

Topaz

Tori

Trinity

Tulip

Turnip

Twilight

Tyra

Valorie

Vanessa

Vicki

Victoria

Wallflower

Walnut

Winnie

Wispa

Xenops

Yasmine

(Middle)

Air

Almond

Apple

Aspen

Beauty

Bitter

Bright

Broom

Bubble

Bumble

Candle

Chilly

Citrus

Cloud

Cloudy

Cocoa

Cotton

Cozy

Dapple

Day

Dazzle

Diamond

Drift

Elm

Evening

Fancy

Fig

Fire

Flicker

Foggy

Fox

Frost

Frosty

Frozen

Funny

Garlic

Giggle

Glitter

Grape

Grassy

Green

Ice

Island

Jelly

Jumpy

Lemon

Light

Lightning

Lime

Little

Lotus

Lovely

Magic

Mango

Maple

Merry

Moon

Morning

Moss

Mossy

Mountain

Muddy

Never

Night

Oak

Orange

Peach

Pear

Pepper

Pine

Plum

Pollen

Pretty

Purple

Quick

Rainbow

Rainy

Sandy

Sea

Shiny

Silk

Snow

Sour

Speedy

Spider

Star

Sugar

Sun

Sweet

Tangle

Thunder

Tulip

Tumlbe

Twisty

Vanilla

Water

Whiffle

Wild

Winter

Wonder

Wrinkle

Yarrow

(Last)

Bead

Beam

Bee

Belle

Berry

Bloom

Blossom

Boots

Breath

Bug

Butter

Button

Cliff

Clove

Cup

Curl

Dance

Drop

Dust

Ear

Eye

Feather

Field

Flame

Flash

Fleck

Flight

Flip

Flower

Fluff

Fly

Foam

Fog

Foot

Forest

Freeze

Froth

Fruit

Garden

Gem

Glade

Glimmer

Glow

Gourd

Grass

Griddle

Gust

Heart

Hopper

Horn

Jewel

Lace

Lake

Lashes

Leaf

Locks

Loop

Meadow

Mello

Mint

Muddle

Muse

Noodle

Peal

Pebbles

Petal

Plume

Pond

Pool

Puff

Ray

Ripple

Root

Sage

Sand

Shadow

Shimmer

Shine

Socks

Song

Spark

Speck

Spirit

Splash

Spring

Sprite

Sprout

Stem

Storm

Stream

Stripe

Swamp

Swirls

Thorn

Toad

Toes

Tree

Twill

Twinkle

Twirl

Twist

Vale

Valley

Vine

Wax

Weather

Web

Whirl

Whisk

Whisper

Wind

Wings

Wink

Wish

Wit

#Disney Fairies #Pixie Hollow #Pixie hollow Online #Fairy #Fairy names #names #Tinker Bell #Tinkerbell

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lionsongfr · 7 years ago

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A tale from the Clan of the Lionfish

Magnus the Magnificent

Scroll dictated by: SquidInk, Librarian of the Abyssal Acropolis and IceShine, Diplomat of War

30th Moon of the Month of Wind

Today I had a visitor to the library, Lady IceShine, our Clan’s Diplomat of War. It is rare to see a literate warrior in our clan, and she occasionally comes to peruse our scrolls over past battles and wars. She has generously added to the library with her own tales of the past conflicts and diplomatic meetings, though like myself, she prefers to dictate her additions rather than write them. Guardian claws do not make for writers as I say. After seeing my magnifying glass (an unfortunate need now due to my failing eyesight), she said that she had remembered another poem-like tale from her childhood about the object’s namesake: Magnus the Magnificent. From this point onward the text shall hold her recounting of the story:

Magnus the Magnificent

Magnus the Magnificent was his name, the one-eyed monocle his claim to fame. For with it no beast could escape his grasp, his eye swifter than a deadly asp. Best he was known for capturing three mages that had flown, from the Fortress of Ends that was no longer their home. Their cunning was great, neither turning the bars or twisting the gates. They had changed their forms, hiding themselves amongst the storms. Then they flew, away from the lands so cold and blue. But Magnus was swiftly upon their trail, riding upon the winds of a gale.

The first he found in the Viridian Labyrinth, hidden among the hyacinths. His disguise was that of a flower, hidden in a secluded bower. Millions others like it, tossed among the rose and lichen. Magnus caught him still, waiting for the rooster’s brilliant shrill. For amongst all the others, only one had no dew upon its feathers. So he bound the mage with amber golden, a prison that could never be broken.

The next treacherous mage fled to the Shattered Plain, but even then, her actions were in vain. She became a pebble in a dried riverbed, among the rocks lifeless and dead. Yet the Magnus sought her form, for only one of the stones did not conform. A piece of agate, rough and ragged, stood alone- beside the smooth and worn stone. With a shout he dug her out, her home now her tomb. He polished her beauty till it shone bright and set her in silver, pearly and white.

The last one ran hard and fast over the land that was scarred. To the beaches of Crystalspine Reaches, it is there the mage changed his features. A pink crystalline peak is where he fled without a squeak, and it is there he stood for over a week. Magnus danced amongst the amethyst crystals, his eye searching while he whistled. As he passed one he stopped his tune, for only one did not show the moon. With a cry of delight, he encircled the last mage, carving runes to bind and cage.

And thus all three mages were caught, their wicked ways leading to naught. Now in the icy prison lies a necklace, beautiful and hidden, waiting in a place long forbidden. Amber, Agate, and Amethyst pink, bound together by silver links. Magnus the Magnificent, his job well done, flies away into the setting sun.

#FR #Flight Rising #clan lore #lore #Clan of the Lionfish #Ice Flight #fr: SquidInk #fr: IceShine

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joyfullynervouscreator · 7 years ago

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Silver and Amethyst pt 4

Final chapter! Full Story Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4

word count ~2k

Being a father was so much more fun than Natfári had ever expected. It was also terrifying on a level he couldn’t quite wrap his head around, how much it mattered that the small pebble was happy and safe – he worked hard to keep her so, her and Arnóra.

Of course, it wasn’t all fear and worry; he thought little Dori – Halldora was far too long a name for his little girl – exploring Erebor might be among the most amazing things he had ever seen, the sheer joy on her face when she mastered a new skill. He cried the first day she called him adad, speaking the word clearly enough to be understood, and privately he thought that if he was enslaved by Arnóra’s smiles he was at least as devoted to Dori’s.

That was the reason he found himself holding a small hand, walking with Dori at a leisurely pace towards the Guardhouse that he officially worked at, when the world exploded and Natfári knew no more.

The air was thick with stone dust; Dís was wailing in her arms, but Frís had no time to soothe, had simply grabbed her daughter and run, Frerin close behind her. Thorin… Thorin had gone hunting this morning, he must still be outside, she wouldn’t think of him being inside the Mountain, couldn’t think of her oldest, her wolf, trapped in their home, fated to be a Dragon’s feast. No. Frís continued on, ignoring the chaos around her with a single-mindedness that would have surprised those who knew her as the most reasonable member of the Royal family.

There was a glint of light on mithril hair, and for a moment Frís thought of her sister, the half-elf she hadn’t seen since the birth of her daughter; who had snuck into the Mountain to be with her at the birth as she had been for the boys. It wasn’t Geira, of course, though the hair was so similar the little one could have been her daughter. Frís barely registered the hand that the little girl was pulling, the body of her parent trapped beneath fallen rock that she had no hope of shifting. With a silent prayer to Mahal for the girl’s departed family, Frís scooped up the Dwarfling – she was a mother, even if she was not the girl’s mother, and she couldn’t bare to ignore the crying child, setting her on her other hip and handing the small bag she had managed to grab to Frerin with a strict admonishment to keep close.

“Adad!” the girl cried, “want Adad!” but she made no move to escape Frís’ arms, burrowing against her shoulder just like Dís, and continued to cry for her father.

When they were out, she kept hold of the children, breathing out a strangled scream when she spotted Thorin, whole and hale, standing with Dwalin and staring at her as though she were a stranger.

“Amad…” he whispered, picking up Frerin in a bear hug when the boy reached him.

“Thorin!” Frís cried, but she did not put the girls down, simply accepted the way he wrapped his arms around all of them, breathing in the smell that was her firstborn, even beneath the acrid smell of smoke and fear.

“Where’s Adad?” he whispered into her ear.

“I don’t know,” she murmured, feeling a renewal of fear at the thought of Thraín being gone – how would she keep them all from falling apart without him? Thorin was in no way old enough to take up his grandfather’s crown, for all that he was a smart boy. In her arms, Dís mumbled something that wasn’t really a word, and when she looked down the small girls were holding hands, smiling at each other as though they were the best of friends.

“Nen’ar!” The hissed whisper woke Frís from her doze in the back of a cart some intrepid baker had manage to escape with; the bread it had held was gone, distributed as fairly as she could manage, and the baker had insisted that she take the cart for her children.

“Gwathel?” Frís mumbled, blinking her eyes open and staring at the hooded figure standing by the end of the cart. Dís turned in her sleep, tangled up with the other little girl who’d refused to give her name. The cloaked figure dropped her hood, revealing the never-aging face of Rhonith to Frís’ eyes. She smiled.

“Finally!” Rhonith cried, reaching out to hug her close. “I was so worried I’d never find you!”

“How… how are you here?” Frís wondered, gripping her hand just to be sure she was really there.

“I’ve been living in Mirkwood for some weeks now, I was planning to sneak in to see you… I saw the dragon, sister, I’m sorry… we were too late.” Rhonith whispered, tears filling her eyes.

“We?” Frís asked, glancing around her, but spotting no Elves.

“Atheg brought the army, but we were too late to kill the wyrm before it had gained the Mountain,” Rhonith replied sadly. “We met with Thrór, but he is… sister, he is crazy!”

“He is… not himself,” Frís agreed carefully, aware that they were not alone; such talk could be considered treason.

“Frís, he demanded we send out warriors to slay the beast inside Erebor, demanded Thranduil swear fealty to him…” Rhonith’s face twisted into something Frís couldn’t decipher, fury mingled with grief so heavy she thought it would break her to hear the next words.

“Tell me.” She said, her voice never wavering.

“He has banished us,” Rhonith whispered, “any Elf spotted in your camp will be executed…” Frís gasped, her grip tightening involuntarily.

“You must leave, then,” she murmured, though the thought made her sad. “You’re not safe here.”

“I want to help!” Rhonith retorted hotly, “Legolas was going crazy when we didn’t see you with Thraín! Atheg was furious, of course, but we would never abandon you to starvation and death!”

“Thraín is alive?” Frís asked, feeling weak with sudden release of tension. “Oh, thank the Maker,” she murmured, squeezing Rhonith’s hand.

“You… you did not know?” The peredhel asked, her Durin-blue eyes wide in the moonlight. “Ai, I am sorry, Frís, I did not think to ask. I have seen Thorin, also, and Fundin with his sons, though the Lady Cantor is presumed dead… I do not know so many by sight alone, though, and Thrór offered no introductions of those around him.”

“Where is my husband? Perhaps… perhaps we can work around my good-father…” Frís mumbled, staring at her knuckles. This was treason, most likely, even though she and Thraín had been skirting the label for years trying to rule around Thrór’s increasingly erratic decisions.

“I will take you to him,” Rhonith swore, hopping down from the end of the cart and pulling her hood back up to cover her shiny hair – even more conspicuous in the moonlight. Frís sighed, jostling Dís and Frerin gently to wake them.

“Wake up, little ones,” she whispered, “we’re going to find out family.”

“Adad?” The little girl with mithril hair asked, staring up at her with eyes that filled with tears when Frís shook her head.

“I’m sorry raklûna,” she murmured, ��I don’t know who your adad is, nor where I could find him. This is my sister, however; she will carry you.” Pointing at Rhonith, who lowered her hood to smile at the little girl, Frís waited for the dwarfling to nod before handing her to Rhonith.

“Zars-nana’.” The girl said, pointing at Rhonith’s pointy ears then at her own hair. “Nana’yê?”

“Iraknana’,” Rhonith nodded, lifting the girl onto her hip. Frís stared – that was more talking than the dwarfling had done since they escaped the mountain; she had wondered if she was so young her vocabulary consisted only of adad and amad, though she looked only slightly younger than Dís. “Let’s go, Frís, I’m sure Thraín will want to see you.”

“Dori!” Arnóra cried, trying to fight her way out of Captain Mundi’s strong hold to no avail. “DORI!” She had run to the guardhouse the moment she had felt the disturbance, but though she had found her good-sister with her friend, she had found neither her daughter nor her husband.

“You can’t go back in, Arna,” Nauma whispered, tears making trails in the dust that clung to her face. “Nati will… Nati will find us, he’ll keep Dori safe, you’ll see.” Clinging to Arnóra’s hand, neither of them admitted that the likelihood of seeing father or daughter again were slim to none.

Eventually, Arnóra hung limply in Mundi’s arms, her despair spent, though she kept turning back to look for any sign of survivors following them.

She saw none.

Rhonith’s plan was not without danger, everyone agreed, but the clandestine plot was the only way to foil Thrór’s edict, the only way they might ensure that their people survived.

Currently, that meant sitting in a circle of dwarflings, handing out small pieces of lembas while she told amusing stories in Khuzdul – her accent in Westron, while common among the Eldar, was noticeable to a Dwarf’s ears and it had been agreed that speaking only Khuzdul was the only way to pull off their scheme with any hope of success. On her lap, little sanzigil-karkith sat quietly, playing with the thin end of one of Rhonith’s braids. No one had been able to convince the dwarfling to tell them her name, but she seemed to prefer to stay with Rhonith, claiming her as her sister from the forest, which no one seemed able to deny the small probably-orphaned dwarfling. Frís still held some hope that the dwarfling’s mother might be found, though it was dwindling the closer they got to the southern edge of the forest where Rhonith would have to leave them.

“You are safe?” he asked, as he always asked, when she found them between the trees, handing over her empty sack for a fresh one filled with lembas. Rhonith smiled, reaching up to stroke the tip of his ears softly.

“I am safe, Legolas, I promise.” She said, as she had said on every night since the first one. “Do not worry. I am careful.” When he nodded, returning the touch, she smiled, turning back towards the camp with little more than a wave for a farewell. She might be safe, but she was becoming a recognised figure among those who camped closest to her, and it would not do to be missed for longer than it took to make water.

No one asked how she obtained the food she gave to the dwarflings – no one had the presence of mind to care, most likely; existing in a numbing fog of grief for all they had s suddenly lost – and Rhonith did not tell. Sometimes she sang, songs she remembered her mother and uncle singing in a long-lost Mountain more than an Age before; sometimes she told stories, stories of Dwarven heroes but also stores of Men and Elves, translated in her mind from whatever language she had originally heard them told. She spoke of vast mountain halls, of forests that stretched beyond knowledge, of seas made of sand, where the men had skin as dark as ink. Fantastical tales to catch the attention of young and old alike had soon made her a popular target of an evening, wherever she would find herself sat by a fire, karkith on her lap and a song on her lips.

“Arnóra!” Captain Mundi called, breathless from running. “Arnóra, I found Dori!”

“You… you found Dori?” Arnóra croaked, hardly daring to believe him. Mundi nodded.

She didn’t even realise she was standing when she began to run, Nauma’s hand still clenched tight in her own as they followed Mundi back through the camp, skirting those who had found spots to rest – Arnóra even jumped over a few prone shapes – in their haste to reach the dwarfling.

“Amad!” Karkith cried, interrupting Rhonith’s story and reaching towards a dam who shared her mithril hair. Rhonith smiled, but she did not think the dwarrowdam noticed, walking the last few steps towards them as though she could not believe her eyes. “Amad!” the little girl cried, and then she was plucked from Rhontih’s lap, cradled against a breast heaving with relieved sobs.

“Oh, Dori,” Arnóra cried, pressing kisses everywhere her kisses could reach, feeling the familiar weight of her pebble in her arms. When she finally managed to lift her head, Nauma’s arms were tight around the both of them, the rotund dwarrowdam shaking with sobs of her own while Mundi was patting her back gently, smiling as though he was paid to do so. Arnóra chuckled weakly, turning to stare at the cloaked dam who had been holding her daughter.

“E gêdul tada makhahsi nathithzi,[1]” she smiled, her blue eyes catching the fire, though Arnóra’s attention was caught by the few strands of hair visible beneath the deep hood. Reaching up, she touched one of her own curly locks wonderingly.

“Zars-nana’, amad,” Dori mumbled sleepily in her arms. “Iraknana’yê.[2]”

“Akhminruki astî,” Arnóra whispered, “I can never repay you, cousin, but… thank you.”

“I did not bring her outside,” Rhonith replied gently, “she was placed in my arms by the Princess Frís, who rescued her from the Mountain. Your thanks should go to her.” With that, she stood, bowing her head once in the direction of the small family and disappeared into the shadows outside the light of the small fire, vanishing beyond their sight almost instantly.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Arnóra found the small bracelet around her daughter’s wrist, tied from mithril hair that seemed somehow shinier than her own or Dori’s, the small knots all meaning little sister.

[1] I am happy that you have found your daughter. [2] Tree-sister, mother. My cousin.

tagging @fountainsofsilver so you can find the other chapters more easily ;)

@life-is-righteous @pandepirateprincess @sassytyphoondetective (your tag still won’t work)

A/N: Natfári did survive - he was knocked out by the same rockfall that crushed the Dwarf Frís mistook for Dori's father - but he did not reunite with his wife until days after they had left the borders of Mirkwood behind, having spent some time unconscious, and moving slowly due to a broken ankle.

#dori #parents of Ri's #Silver and Amethyst #erebor #Dwelf-'verse

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