#wildforestferret

[bingus-bing-bong]

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[canyouhearthelight]

At the start of this arc I wanted whatever was hurting people to go away but I legit just let out a huge sigh of relief at Xio saying that Else is sentient and therefore they can’t just wipe it out with antibiotics. How the heck did I get this emotionally attached to a hive mind made of bacteria?

Don't worry! I promise Else will stop hurting people!

EDIT: But, yes. The dilemma of 'ohmygosh it's a baby' was the goal of the arc. Sentient plagues/viruses are not uncommon in sci-fi, and @baelpenrose and I riffed a while back on 'malicious disease' v. 'destructive toddler' versions. I decided I wanted to tackle the 'destructive toddler', because my heart is squishier.

Bael nailed 'malicious disease' in the Kyrrion arc of Tiger Squadron, btw, for anyone who wants a more bloodthirsty virus.

[bixbythemartian]

I wanna know what happens when the cat witch goes back to the zoo

So do I! Other part here

It took a while to get my schedule sorted out. Taking on a bunch of new responsibilities will do that, I suppose. And I ended up taking a job at a cat clinic in my neighborhood because, even though I just work the front, I’m good at soothing the cats and getting them to comply (as much as cats ever do). I guess Olivia, the old cat witch, used to work there, and so they needed someone new.

No, she’s fine. I promise. I said that wrong. 

She’s fine, she’s old but she’s pretty spry. Cats have no sense of time, and Olivia wanted whoever came next to have an apprenticing period. Cat witches tend to live longer than most standard people, she’s counting on making her century apparently. I see Miss Betsy on the regular, she’s an ornery old cat, and more likely to pass away before her owner. 

Olivia and I made a deal, that whatever cat she has when she passes, I’ll take on, she’s even written a will about it. There’s some other stuff she wants me to have, so she gave it to me. Says I’m doing all her legwork, so I oughta have it. Heh.

Nice thing about working the clinic is I can take Pookie to work with me. The difficult part is that Pookie now believes that anytime I leave the house without her I’m committing a crime. So it was like half an hour before I’d reassured Pookie that no, really, they won’t let her into the zoo, sorry kitten.

Lions? They’re gossips. Each of them had to tell me what the others had been doing. 

The tigers were really prey driven, kept getting distracted by small moving animals, but they like the zoo well enough. The staff occasionally give them odd shaped things full of meat to play with, they love that. 

Cheetahs are serious, if a little anxious. They wanted to talk about my roles and responsibilities and how I was holding up and to check back in with them.

The fishing cats could smell the cat treats I had on me (I carry them out of habit) and were curious about them, but they all decided that the fresh meat they got was better. 

Pallas cats are absolute no less hilarious when you can talk to them, let me assure you. They are as salty as you’d expect. 

At some point a zoo worker noticed me talking to the cats and that they seemed to listen to me, and approached me.

“Um, do you know, uhm, Olivia?” he asked, all nerves.

“Olivia Walker?”

“You do. You- are you like her?”

“Yeaaaaah, in some ways,” I said.

He sighed in relief. “The male lion, Huey, is back in medical and he’s being... obstructionist. You think you could talk to him?”

“How many regulations would we break?”

“Oh, I don’t know off hand,” he said. “But will you?”

“Sure, why not.”

He led me to a secret zoo tunnel to a place behind the Lion’s Pride, where there was a pacing male lion who looked definitely ill. “Tell me what you need to do, and what you need him to do.”

I got a quick overview from the vet, who looked alarmed but complied.

I crouched on the straw strewn floor next to the cage, and got a dirty look for my troubles. “How bad is your tooth hurting?”

“The cat witch,” he said. “You found your calling.”

“Yep. You remember?”

“You did not know us.”

“I do now. And I’m worried about your tooth.”

“It is agony,” he said, and roared. 

“It’s making you real sick.” Broken and infected. They didn’t want to shoot him with a dart gun unless they had to, it was too imprecise.

“I am dying.”

I sighed. “I know it’s hard when you’re in pain, but these are good people, and they want to help. They’re going to take the tooth out and give you medicine to help you feel better, so you can get back to doin lion things.”

He snorted. “I want turkey.”

“I’ll see what they can do.”

“Very well.” He settled, laid down.

The vet moved in, and I stepped back, and glanced at the guy who’d snagged me in the first place. “He wants turkey.”

He laughed. “No problem.”

I gave him my phone number in case this comes up again, and I’ve got free season passes for the zoo, now. He also wants me to email him if the cats tell me something I think zoo staff should know. 

Huey did fine for his little dental operation and is expected to make a full recovery in no time.

I got some turkey for Pookie too, and told her about the lion. She wants it to be known that she thinks he’s a big baby. 

(I did not remind her about that time she stepped on a bee and was convinced her leg was going to fall off.)

[thebellwitchblog]

Yo, What Gives?

@wildforestferret

.

Jk just wanna say thanks for the notification spam lol and I mean that entirely unironically. It's always nice to know that people enjoy my content, even when it's just stuff I've reblogged sometimes. Especially when, as far as I remember, they don't follow me lol means someone else liked my stuff enough to share it and get your attention :)

[canyouhearthelight]

@thatkidfrompinterest @werewolf2578 @nekohuntslight @datenshi-no-hime @oracleofbullshyt @26fancyraptors @wildforestferret @someoddmix @fedorall @404nameredacted @nekohuntslight @frenchbrokendoll

I literally wait to see your reactions to what I write, and get worried I did something wrong if I don't see your name pop up. Yeah, I'm a loser like that 🤣

There is a writer, I love every work she has written so far and I comment or leave kudos every chapter/work that she had published. Is that too much? I'm feeling like a stalker.

Odds are you are now that author’s favourite reader and they have you specifically in mind when they write because they’re looking forward to your reaction to it :D

At least, that’s how it goes for me.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 118

Winding down to the end of 2020, when there will be an announcement regarding the story. No worries: I’m not stopping at the end of the year!

First, thanks for this chapter go to: @zommbiebro for Jokul, @wildforestferret for Hannah, @baelpenrose for Alistair and being an amazing Beta Reader/writing partner, and @raven-fae for originally giving me the NERVE to start posting this so long ago.  I never imagined that a one-off response to a writing prompt would become so much!

Housekeeping stuff: I updated the Master List and the page links over the weekend (whew), and also finished all the chapters that will post through the end of the year! Much excite, so relief.

Rushing between appointments, I was trying to multitask by looking over one of the files for the cooking class volunteers.  Quiet beeps in the back of my mind should have reminded me to watch where I was going as I kept setting off proximity warnings in people I nearly ran into.  I was so focused on my task that I ignored the mutters around me of how rude I was being, until the alert suddenly started getting louder and louder, practically screaming before I snapped out of my trance and stopped walking.

In front of me was a familiar set of broad shoulders, and just past him was a wall that I nearly ran us both into. “Conor, what are you doing?” I asked, started to see him seemingly just staring at a wall and humming away.

He turned toward me with a grin, dropping a kiss on the top of my head in greeting. “I didn’t realize that was you,” he answered. “I heard someone coming, but figured they would either turn or rather run into me than the wall.”

“And why are you staring at the wall?”

“Wasn’t staring,” he corrected. “I was working on this.” He stepped aside with a flourish, revealing one of the wall-tanks set up throughout the Ark for Else. Soft yellow motes drifted in the tank, evidence of Else’s continued breakneck evolution. However, this tank had something new in it…

“You put snowflakes in there?” I asked, confused.

He ran a hand through his hair and laughed. “When Sam, Derek, and I started putting out the Insert Winter Holiday decorations this week, Else got curious and asked what we were doing.  Derek explained - he talks to them better than I do - and they wanted something in their habitat, too, like we have.”

“And you decided on snowflakes?”

“Else picked that, actually. They are very curious about snow, since they developed… well, here, where there is no weather…”

“I guess that is fair.” Suddenly, I felt rude for talking about Else like they weren’t present. I still hadn’t gotten in the habit of speaking directly to them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you…” I cringed a little inside.

Is okay, Else replied. We are not offended. Will we see real snow one day?

I thought about it. “Probably? Von has atmosphere, and the nights are long enough that the temperature probably gets really cold. It may have the right conditions for snow.”

Many humans think snow is beautiful. We would like to see snow.

“You and me both, buddy,” I admitted. “I love it.”

Conor shuddered. “No thank you. You can keep your cold mush.” Checking his databand, he groaned. “I have to get going. See you later, Else.” He dropped another kiss on my head. “I’ll see you at dinner,” he promised.

“No bruises?”

“No bruises.”

I smiled before jumping to check the time myself. “Shit,” I swore softly. “Else, I gotta go, too. I have an appointment five minutes ago.”

Humans can time travel?

“I wish,” I muttered, practically running to get there on time. I prayed that Alistair kept Hannah busy while I raced to our interview.

I showed up breathless and dishevelled, but only ten minutes late. Great first impression you’re giving, I scolded myself as I tried to get my hair somewhat more tidy and catch my breath. Straightening, I scanned my datapad and entered my office.

Hannah was nodding seriously at something Alistair was saying, and all I could do was pray he wasn’t telling her some embarrassing story about me. Both of them looked up as I entered, and Hannah approached me to shake my hand. “Hello, Sophia! Or should I address you as Councillor. I’m not entirely sure…”

“Sophia is fine,” I reassured her.  “Did Alistair explain why I asked you to meet with me today?”

She shook her head. “No, we were just talking about Zachary’s work with Councilor Ranganathan.”

“That is part of it,” I agreed. “Zach is one of several people who Pranav is mentoring, hoping to build a pool of candidates to fill his position in the future. I asked you to meet with me to see if you would be interested in doing the same, with me?”

Her eyes widened. “You want me… to learn your job?”

“I assure you, it is much safer than I make it look.” I tried to sound confident, but was already bracing for her to reject the position.

“It’s not that - “ Wait, what? “I just. Do you really think I could?”

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you could do it,” I assured her, somewhat dumbfounded. Recovering quickly, I pushed on. “I want to be clear - this is an elected position, so there is no guarantee that you would be my successor. The goal of the mentorship is to help you decide if you even want to do it, at all, along with ensuring that the Ark has the opportunity to choose between people who definitely know how to do the job. And more importantly, want to do the job.”

Alistair picked up from there. “In the Before, if you remember, many elections were decisions based on which candidate would do the least harm, rather than the most good. The Council is trying to change that.”

She nodded in understanding. “So there would be other people you are mentoring?”

So far, so good. “Hopefully three, yes.”

“Will you be working with us at the same time?”

“If all three of you accept, I am hoping to work with each of you one day per week individually, and the rest collectively,” I confirmed. “More specific than that, I will meet with all of you to explain once I know who has accepted. But I wanted to extend the offer in person, so I can answer any questions you may have.”

Hannah nodded again. “Would we be working the same hours you do?”

I was very glad Alistair and I already thought that part through, along with Tyche’s input. “Initially, no. You would only work half of my shift, and what half would be at my discretion.  However, this would be considered your job allotment, so you would not have to worry about any schedule conflicts. The only reason I will be deciding which half of my shift you work is because it may change due to Council meetings that you may not be privy to, or if there is nothing beneficial to your learning happening during the other half.”

“Why only half?” She asked.

“Councilors generally work double shifts,” Alistair advised her. When her eyes widened again, he continued, “In my experience, as her assistant, she will never ask you to work as much as she does, but she is very insistent that if she is not working, neither are you.”

I shook my head at him. “What he isn’t explaining is that there are also often large gaps in my day when I have no appointments and no paperwork to go through. So being in the office for sixteen to twenty hours sounds grueling, but I am rarely here the entire time.  That’s just the window when people are allowed to set appointments, or when the Council can convene outside of emergencies.”

Her shoulders sagged with relief. “I was honestly about to walk out until you explained that a bit better.”

I leaned over to Alistair and hissed. “People skills!”

“Professionalism…” he murmured back.

Hannah smiled at our antics. “Another question: What exactly do you do?”

I groaned, and Alistair smirked at me. Jokul had been so right on that point that it wasn’t even funny. “Since Zach is shadowing Pranav, I’m going to assume you know how the parts about voting in Council sessions works, right?” She nodded. “Okay, so that’s the big part that most people know about. They vote on an issue, their votes go to their representative Councilor, who votes on their behalf, short version. On a day to day basis, each Councilor is responsible for heading up everything on the Ark in a certain field. For me, that’s any large scale events, staffing, or major adjustments to how people are able to live their day-to-day lives. I have one assistant,” I gestured to Alistair, “and an Administrator, my sister Tyche.  She handles all of the small staffing concerns, because she is amazing at it.”

“So… Insert Winter Holiday, the annual Food festival…?”

I nodded. “Along with the gravity changes, the day cycle changes, the proximity alerts, creating and maintaining quiet rooms, finding people to back fill gaps caused by large projects or initiatives, large scale announcements to the ship, et cetera.”

“That’s… a lot…” She bit her bottom lip in concern.

“Really, it’s a handful of major events each year, plus the daily stuff.  And I work really closely with the other Councilors, largely because once most projects are past a staffing point, it falls under their jurisdiction to execute.”

Slowly, she nodded. “Okay…” After a moment, she nodded much more firmly. “Okay, I’ll try it.”

One down, two to go, I cheered in my head as I resisted the urge to scream with joy.

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[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 105

I’ve managed to get slightly ahead on these, so: A belated thank you to @littleshydragon, @dark-chocolat-cupcake, @overusedblur, and @allegrochicken for all the love I have seen blowing up my notes recently (I’m queuing this on Aug 25, even if it won’t post until Sept 8). 

Also, to the 30 new followers who I have somehow acquired: Welcome!  Ask box is always open, and I don’t get nearly enough of them.  I love to interact with y’all, so don’t be afraid to ask me every little question you think of as you read.  Anon is on if you feel you need that.

Other than that, thanks for this chapter goes out to @baelpenrose for beta reading.  Also @quantumizedinsanity, @charlylimph-blog, @wildforestferret, @creakingcryptid, for the characters you gave me to play with in chapters like this.

Later that same ‘day’, I was forcefully reminded of Noah’s observation regarding human communication.  Things were generally calm, and an impromptu family meal-snack-thing was happening in my quarters. Antoine had been over to visit, as he seemed to be making up for lost time caused by infiltrating Jokul’s accidental cult.  Zach and Hannah were over, as well, so when dinner time rolled around, I just threw together some small po-boy sandwiches and banh mi for us to snack on while we kept visiting, rather than making a full meal.

Hey, I was allowed lazy days, too.

As it happened sometimes, conversation turned to things we either did or didn’t miss from Before.  Tonight was very firmly in the ‘do not miss’ category.

“Plagues started by dumb experiments,” Maverick pointed out, smirking.

Catching on, Conor swatted him playfully. “I said I was sorry about that! And Else is an alright person, turns out.”

Snorting, Hannah covered her face with one hand. “Tell that to Nixe.”

“Her new tail is gorgeous,” I gushed. “If I got reparations like that, I’d at least consider forgiving someone.”

“For almost killing you?”

“It was an accident,” I brushed the comment off, reminded of explaining that gesture to Noah. “Besides, there are a lot of other things I genuinely don’t miss.”

“Aunt Flo,” Hannah intoned seriously.

“Tyche and I already did that one, so it’s not admissible,” I admonished. “But spoiled food? Do not miss.”

Zach shuddered. “Hell, that’s not even from Before. I don’t miss that at all.”

Antoine lifted his coffee in a mock-toast. “To all the people we lost to antibiotics.” After a few confused looks banded around the room, I laughed and waved at him to clarify. Rolling his eyes dramatically, he sighed. “Bread mold. This is why people died in the After of antibiotic allergies: they didn’t know it was derived from bread mold.”

“Dude, that’s dark,” Zach whispered.

Clearing his throat, Conor soldiered on. “I never lived through one, but wildfires were pretty bad, yeah?”

Nodding seriously, Maverick - who had lived on the western coast of NorthAm - added “Yeah, fuck THOSE things. Australia had it worse, but still.”

Raising her hand and waving it, Hannah started making eager noises to ask for her turn.  “Absolutely idiotic job requirements, am I right?” Nods abounded, and she took the opportunity to vent the spleen I hadn’t even guessed her to possess. “The number of jobs I didn’t get because I didn’t have a degree were absurd. I don’t even know why they even required them, for some!  I’m sure most of you had that happen.”

I kept my silence, but Conor was right behind her. “A Master’s in Engineering, to be a foreman.  You’re babysitting a bunch of knuckleheads pounding rebar and pouring concrete!  And they’ve had a decade of learning to do it right, I would’ve just been there to make sure it was compliant. And they wanted a Master’s for that!”

Hannah took a sip of her drink and nodded eagerly. “That’s what I’m talking about! There was a job I qualified for that was basically a glorified secretary… They wanted a four-year degree and paid peanuts. Absurd.  But I was unemployed for way more of my life than I should have been, because I didn’t have that piece of paper.”

Idly, Zach stared at his drink.  Like me, he had one of said-degrees, so this was something of a conversation we couldn’t really take part in. “I wonder how many Councillors we would have if those kind of requirements were put in place here.” Arching an eyebrow, he glanced up at me and inclined his head knowingly.

“Well,” I exhaled. “It depends. If they asked for a Master’s degree of any kind, I wouldn’t be a Councillor.” A thought struck me. “Hey - “

“No, Sophia, you cannot recommend that as a way to retire from the Council,” Antoine scolded with a laugh. “You would be grandfathered in with everyone else.”

The laughter broke the serious tone that had descended, and led to everyone speculating jovially, starting with Conor. “Well, we know Grey would still be a Councillor in that case - they admitted they had a PhD when Else was still getting sorted, rather than an MD.”

“Pretty sure Eino has a Master’s, at least,” Zach pointed.

Maverick shook his head, firmly disagreeing. “Doctorate in Education. I saw it on his wall. Don’t sell that one short.”

“So that’s two.” Hannah leaned forward eagerly. “Conor, what about Huynh?”

“Masters in Engineering,” he confirmed ruefully. “But he’s no PhD.”

“Pranav,” Zach interjected. “Post grad in robotics. Even worked on some of the Padrugoi mission stuff, early on.”

A respectful murmur filled the room, accompanied by appropriately impressed nods. Maverick had to actually shake the starstruck look out of his eyes before he could speak. “So that’s three PhDs, one Master’s, and a Bachelor’s on the Council. Not bad, honestly.”

Antoine cleared his throat politely. “Grey actually has two doctorates, if I am recalling correctly.”

I shook my head firmly. “Three. Biochemistry, genetics, and molecular chemistry.”

With a low whistle, Conor shook his head. “So, we have a clear leader as far as ‘most degrees on the Council’. Would Eino or Pranav be second, though?”

An argument erupted, and when it looked like Zach was about to say something, I shook my head. I knew the same thing he was about to point out, as a by-blow of fixing some of Derek’s more… enthusiastic shenanigans,  but I wanted to see if anyone would figure it out or even question it.  A solid half-hour later, Tyche arrived and scooped up a mini-sandwich before she even registered the conversation/argument taking place.

Whirling to face me, she pointed at the rest of the room and glared at me disdainfully. “Seriously? How long has this been going on?”

“Forty five minutes?” I admitted sheepishly. “Maybe an hour if you include the ‘what we don’t miss’ portion of the conversation.  But ‘degrees on the Council’ has been at least forty five minutes.”

“And you said fuck all?”

I shrugged. “I know it’s not me who has the most or even second most.  I have the least formal education of any Councillor.”

Tyche pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a long breath. “Okay, everyone. What do you know so far?”

Without hesitation, Maverick rattled it off. “Grey has three doctorates, Eino has one and  a Master’s, it turns out. Pranav has one doctorate and a Bachelor’s. Huynh has a Master’s, and Sophia has a Bachelor’s.”

“And the Councillor you have left out?” she interrogated wearily, while Zach and I tried to restrain our laughter.

“Xiomara?” he asked, face scrunched in confusion. “She was career military, but I don’t know if she has any degrees. Maybe a Bachelor’s?”

Tyche shook her head, glaring again when I started gasping for breath. “Wrong. And you know what? Soph knew this, so I’m going to make her tell all of you. Like she should have. From the beginning.”

“Hey!” I cried, still giggling. “I was giving them a whole other 5 minutes before I broke the news. I just wanted to see if they would even question their reasoning.”  Antoine’s eyes got wide, sending me into another giggling fit. “None of you even mentioned the idea of Xiomara having any degree,” I gasped, almost in hysterics. “Mav was in the military, so I get that he just assumed she was busy as fuck, but… et tu, everyone?”

Hannah’s head turned slowly to stare down Zach. In self defense, he held up both hands with one pointing at me. “She told me not to say anything.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I did!”

Carefully, Conor slowly asked the question that was on everyone else’s minds. “Sophie? What’s so funny?”

Tears were pouring down my face at this point - not because I thought the situation was funny, because it wasn’t. Not really.  I was hysterical because I was so caught off guard that we still brought something like this with us. “I don’t know the real reason why nobody considered Xiomara, and I’m scared to ask at this point. I’m hoping it’s because she looks tough as hell and like the kind of person who would beat up highly educated people rather than be one.” Wiping a tear from my face, I glanced at Tyche. Her jaw was tight, clearly thinking the same things I was. “But the fact that she is the only other woman on the Council, that hurts, honestly.”

I took a few deep breaths to compose myself. “The fact is, Xiomara has five degrees. Five. Along with her military career. Tyche and I have to know this, since we handle staffing.” Counting on my fingers, I started ticking them off. “Two doctorates, one in international law and one in experimental economics - as in, yes, the calorie economy was her idea. A Master’s in military history, along with two Bachelor’s degrees: one in experimental chemistry and one in nuclear physics.” Shaking my head, I glanced at the shocked and guilty expressions in the room. “It isn’t three PhDs, but damn, y’all. The woman has five degrees!”

“How did she do that, and a military career, so young?” Maverick asked, his tone nothing but awed.

Antoine looked confused at the question. “My friend, how old do you think Xiomara is?”

He shrugged. “Sophie’s age? So, thirtyish?”

Conor poked him. “Mav. You know how old Sophie is.”

Maverick rolled his eyes. “Fine. So maybe forty? The whole healing stuff messes with me, I’ll be honest.”

Smiling, I cut him some slack. “Xiomara is just over ten years older than me,” I clarified.

Hannah’s eyes widened, and Zach looked like he had been punched in the gut. “So hot-scary-lady is fifty?” After Tyche and I nodded, he shook his head. “That’s still super-impressive for fifty. For seventy, even!” Zach shook his head. “Grey, I could understand. They seem like the type to just live for education, you know? But, Xio? I’ve known for a year and I still get dizzy thinking about it.”

“It does explain why she’s so intimidating,” Conor pointed out. When I opened my mouth to scold him, he held up one hand. “No! No. Doctorates have to be argued and defended, right? Plus one of those is in law. And she balanced a military career on top of all that. If I accomplished all that, people would look at me with respect and expect me to be a direct, take-no-prisoners kind of person.” He glanced at Antoine, who winced and nodded in confirmation. 

“She isn’t though,” I complained. “She’s a leader.”

“Definitely not ruthless, but she is intimidating to the general population,” Hannah pointed out gently. “That’s part of what Jokul was talking about, right? The Ark, as a whole, doesn’t get to see her get excited over her favorite foods, or pictures of baby pandas, or…. Cherries? Is it cherries she’s crazy for?”

“Pomegranate,” I corrected, begrudgingly.

“Pomegranate,” Hannah asserted. “They don’t get to see that. They get to see ‘hot-scary-lady who lays down the law’. Not ‘Xiomara who gets googly eyed when Parvati Fletcher wears that one violet shirt’.”

“Or hates plantains,” Tyche pointed out. “Which never made sense to me, because fried plantains are basically dessert with dinner.”

I started to giggle a bit. “It makes even less sense when you’ve seen her order coffee.” Tyche groaned, but more confused looks bounded about the room. Full out laughing, I explained. “She… she puts… maybe three ounces of coffee? Not espresso, just regular coffee… with what looks like a gallon - “ I snorted so hard it hurt my nose, but couldn’t stop. “Of milk! And sugar! Oh gods, she must put a cup of sugar in her coffee, I swear!”

Hannah and Zach exchanged glances, as did Conor and Maverick. Within seconds, the entire room erupted in laughter. “That?” Conor gasped. “That is hilarious….”

“I...I always thought… she took her coffee blacker than sin….” Zach wheezed. “And baby pandas?”

Sobering suddenly, I straightened and glared at the entire room. “OI!” I shouted. “Baby pandas are fucking cute, and if you don’t think so, you aren’t human, and I will ask Noah to do genetic testing to prove that.”

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[leximpwrites]

Alright, who do I have to beat up?

"I'm sorry, I must be more drunk than I thought," Alek said, slowly and carefully, making sure he was speaking clearly. he set his wine glass aside. "This faerie prince did what now?"

The room had suddenly gone very quiet at the low, rumbling growl behind Alek's words. 

They had been having a party to celebrate his and Gren's fifth anniversary, and Riah had been coaxed to tell a more complete version of her first trip to this world. 

"He used a glamour and tried to turn her into his personal love slave," Zan said flatly, the lack of emotion in his voice indicative of how angry he still was about it. 

"I see," Alek said, his tone causing the others to glance at each other in alarm. As he got slowly to his feet, Melody stepped in front him. He locked eyes with her for a long long and breathless moment. 

"Dont kill him," she said at last. "I know I cant stop you, but killing him would cause more problems than it would solve. Please?"

Alek unexpectedly grinned, all teeth. "Oh dont worry," he chuckled wickedly. "Death is too good for a piece of sketi like him. I have something much worse in mind." 

***********

"STORMFALL!"

The thunderous shout shook the air, several of the Faerie guards staggering back from Alek as though struck. 

Warriors swarmed him from every direction, but none could get close. Magic blazed around him, tendrils of pure force lashing out from him to smack them away. 

He stormed through the city. He didnt kill a single person, or damage anything that couldnt be easily repaired, but he flattened anyone who got in his way. 

Crashing through the last line of guards, he shattered a door amd confronted Stormfall himself. 

"Who-?" the Faerie prince began, his face twisted with arrogance, rage, amd fear, but Alek knocked him sprawling with a flick of his magic. 

"Silence!" he thundered, the walls shaking with the force of his anger. "You havent earned the right to speak in my presence!"

Such was the psychological impact of his fury that Stormfall actually soiled himself in terror. 

Alek dropped his voice, the pure malice in his tone somehow even more terrifying than when he was shouting. 

"You hurt someone very dear to me," he hisses in Stormfalls ear, bending close to the panicking faerie. "Nightmares. Emotional pain and scars. Things nobody should ever have to endure. And she isnt the only one you've harmed in that manner."

Stormfall tried to scramble away, but Alek's massive hand pinned him to the wall by his chest. 

"This is for every woman you have ever brutalized," Alek snarled, His eyes bright with rage. "For every one that never recovered, that lost their minds to the pain. This is vengeance! Now. Tell. Me. Your. Name!"

Stormfall had time to shriek once before Alek's magic seared into his mind.

*******

It took three days for anyone to get up the nerve to ask Alek what had happened. 

He sat Riah and Melody down across from him. 

"I did not kill him," he said. "I gave you my oath, Melody, and I kept my word."

"So what did you do?" Riah asked. 

"Since he enjoyed using the Names of others against them, I decided to do the same to him," Alek said, grinning maliciously. "Using his name, I left him with a fun little compulsion. Any time he tries to touch another person without their explicit consent,  my spell will activate. He will experience the terror, the pain, the heartache, everything his victims have ever gone through. All at once. Every time. He cannot be rid of this spell."

There is silence for a long time. Then Riah jumped to her feet and hugged Alek hard. He hugged her back, and the others piled in as well. 

Some people liked their revenge cold. In Alek's opinion, revenge was best when it was accompanied by the heat of an inferno. 

((A fanfic for the fantabulous @officialleehadan !! I hope you guys like it! It's based off of events from the first book of her Sunborn series, Return Again. If you havent read them, GO DO IT NOW HER STUFF IS FANTASTIC))

@kitvinslakte ​​ @nox919 ​​ @dierotenixe ​​ @stuck-in-theclouds ​​ @gyvorn12 @apenvssword ​​ @wildforestferret ​​ @krceramics ​​ @starsdreaming ​​

[leximpwrites]

Extreme Childcare

"Follow behind me!" Alek bellowed over the cacophony of battle, smashing aside a demon with his shield and cutting down another three with fast, brutal strokes of his sword.

"Come, stay close!" Misa called to the civilians she was shepherding. Behind them, eye-searing bolts of light stabbed out again and again as Essylla blasted any demons that dared come close.

The demons had caught them off guard and overrun their camp. They were fighting a desperate rearguard action to get the civilians out safely.

"Mommy!"

The petrified cry reached her ears through the roar of combat, and Misa turned to see a little girl, no more than four or five, pinned against a wall, a thrakka raising its sword.

*DONT YOU FUCKING DARE, DICKWAD!*

The demon soldier recoiled in surprise, it's arm gone at the elbow.

Kikyo cradled the child against her, whispering soothingly.

"There, there, little one, it's okay, I've got you, you're safe now," she murmured. "I want you to be a strong and brave girl for me, okay? Keep your eyes shut tight, alright? I'll get you back to your mommy."

The little girl nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, plugging her ears with her fingers for good measure. Kikyo looked back at the thrakka, who had been joined by three others, and hissed, baring her needle sharp teeth.

"You die know, shitfucks," she snarled, and lunged at them.

********

The girl's mother couldnt stop thanking Kikyo. Not knowing what to do, she retreated, and left Misa to deal with it.

"Please, please, it wasnt me!" Misa protested, but to no avail. They. were calling her Hell Maiden now. The Savage Physician.

Well, maybe it wasnt all bad. At least they didnt seem afraid of her anymore.

((Tadaaa! I know it's been ages, and I'm so sorry! >_< I got so caught up in Seeker, and work, amd all the other insanity. I'll try to get back into posting more. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home! ♥️♥️))

@officialleehadan ​​ @kitvinslakte ​​ @nox919 ​​ @dierotenixe ​​ @stuck-in-theclouds ​​ @apenvssword ​​ @wildforestferret ​​ @krceramics ​​ @starsdreaming ​​

[leximpwrites]

Dragon's End

Okay, so before any of you freak out, I am not killing him off, I promise. I was just in a mindset the other night, and this story kinda wrote itself. It's interesting to give an end to such a being. I should also mention at this point, he's like, 300,000 years old at this point.

Alek rose from his chair, towering over Erissa. She smiled up at him, twirling a lock of her hair between two fingers. 

"I suppose we knew that it would come to this eventually," he said, crossing his arms. 

She nodded, her smile tinged with a bit of sadness. "There would always come a time when you threatened the Balance. I knew that from the moment we first met. For what it's worth, I am sorry."

Alek laughed. "Sorry? My dear Erissa, despite our disagreements, you have always been one of my closest and truest friends. No, I have cherished the millenia we have known each other." He turned and looked up at the stars. "You know, there are suns out there that are younger than I am by thousands of years."

She followed his gaze, smiling. "The curse of immortals."

He chuckled and looked back at her. "True. But. I have lived a long and full life. I have no regrets. However." He snapped his fingers and was clad in his full armor, armed with his might greatsword and shield. "I will not simply lay down and die. You will have to earn the right to take me, Nephilim."

Cold flowed away from her as she drew her twin scythes, shifting into her True form. A laugh akin to the rattling of bones in a coffin issued from the depths of her hood. 

*I wouldnt have it any other way, old friend,* said Death. 

For one final time, the cold of the grave met the heat of a star while the entire galaxy watched the glorious final battle of Aleksandr Yanukovich Petronova Scorchfang, Son of the Red Dragon Fireheart, Lord of the Eastern Reaches, Demonsbane, Flame Lord, and Hero of a Thousand Peoples.

@officialleehadan ​​ @kitvinslakte ​​ @nox919 ​​ @dierotenixe ​​ @stuck-in-theclouds ​ @apenvssword ​​ @wildforestferret ​​ @krceramics ​​ @starsdreaming ​​

[leximpwrites]

Random Scribbles

Bolt of inspiration hit me earlier, based off of this

So I wrote it. Trigger warnings, implied sexual assault, violence against women, and general nastiness. This isnt what I normally.wrote, but this one kinda wrote itself.

******************

Alena blinked. 

Clarice stood in front of her, shaking, bleeding from several places, her hair a mess, her clothing torn and disheveled. There was a slightly dazed look in her eyes that spoke of powerful drugs only just beginning to wear off. 

Clarice looked up at Alena. "...didn't know where else t'go…" she slurs, then her eyes roll back into her head, and Alena had to leap forward to catch her before she hit the ground. 

To say that Alena was stunned was an understatement. Known to the masses as Psionica, Clarice had enormously potent mental powers; telekinesis, pyrokinesis, telepathy, you name it, she had it. 

Which meant for this to have been done to her, it required either overwhelming force...or someone she trusted implicitly. 

And since Alena hadn't felt a city block being leveled, it was probably the latter.

Alena carried her inside, then gently tended to her injuries. What she saw chilled her to the bone. Bruises, everywhere. Clarice had taken one hell of a beating. 

Alena and Clarice had had an on again, off again relationship for years, the main issue being that Alena, aka Nytfyre, was a Blacklister; someone who fought crime like the "heroes", but one who made sure the villains didn't come back for another round. But she had been out of the game for years now.

An hour later, Clarice woke up screaming. If it hadnt been for Alena's magic holding things where they were, the entire room would have been destroyed. It took her another hour to calm Clarice down. 

"What happened?" she asked once the blind panic had subsided. 

"Titan!" Clarice wailed, sagging limply into Alena's arms. "H-he b-b-betrayed us t-t-to the Dark L-l-league! He threw a g-g-g-gas grenade into th-the locker r-rooms, and paralyzed us!"

She stopped speaking, choking up, but she opened her mind to Alena, and what Alena saw in her memories made her blood boil. The Dark Legion soldiers had come then, once the heroes and heroines were helpless, and outright executed the men. But the women…Clarice had waited until they were distracted and managed to escape, then came to the first person she could think of. Alena. 

She got tk her feet and slowly crossed the room, opening a cabinet that had a series of padlocks, biometric sensors, retinal scanners, and finger print readers. When she opened it, her old Nytfyre costume hung, along with her gear. 

She suited up while Clairce watched here, wide eyed and pale. When she was done, she turned to Clarice. 

"You stay put," she said gently, despite the fact that magic swirled and twisted around her, red, gold, and black, reflecting the ever building fury within her. "I will return in three hours."

She paused in the doorway and looked back over her shoulder at her friend. Alena's eyes were iron hard. 

"Their lives are forfeit," she whispered, her voice like the hiss of a blade through cloth, the pure, malevolent rage in her tone making Clarice shudder. "They will beg for death before I am through with them, and I will snap their minds and shatter their souls."

And then she was gone, tearing through the night towards Hero's Tower.

**************

Dont ask where that came from, I dont know, I'm just the author. Anywho, as ever, lemme know what you think.

@officialleehadan ​​ @kitvinslakte ​​ @nox919 ​​ @dierotenixe ​​ @stuck-in-theclouds ​​ @gyvorn12 ​​ @apenvssword ​​ @wildforestferret ​​ @krceramics ​​ @starsdreaming ​

[leximpwrites]

Poetry with Pointy Bits

I couldnt think of anything else to post, since I'm too focused on Seekers right now, so I figured I might put a snippet from one of the chapters of my fanfic from the lovely and amazing @officialleehadan. ^_^

"Well, that was fun!" he said, causing the rest of them to laugh. 

"Well, now we–oooooffff!!!" Alek went sailing sideways to crash headfirst into the ground as something very large smashed into him from behind. Zan and Gren threw themselves out of the way as the ghoul thundered out of the undergrowth, bellowing in rage, its piggish red eyes glaring around itself hatefully. Essylla opened a hole in the shield, allowing The two boys to dive through. She slammed it closed again just in time to stop the ghoul from crashing through. It recoiled from her barrier, hissing and growling in anger and pain, the light magic leaving vivid red burns on its arms. 

"Wher...the hell...did that...come from?" Zan gasped out, trying to catch his breath.

"It must have heard us fighting the gryphons and figured on finding an easy meal," Riah said, grimly. The ghoul smacked the barrier again, hard enough to make Essylla wobble, and hissed again in pain. 

Everyone, including the ghoul, froze as a thunderous, snarling roar tore through the air. 

Riah's mouth fell open. Tracy gasped, and Melody squeaked in surprise. Zan stared, his face unreadable, and Gren swore colorfully in three languages.

Essylla giggled. "Oh, he is piiiissssed," she said in a sing song tone of voice. 

Alek strode forward, his wings mantled threateningly, fangs bared, tail lashing furiously. 

He was also a lot bigger than he had been moments ago, his body reverting to his normal form from the sheer force of his rage. His skin was scaled, a dark, blood red, his face having lengthened into a more muzzle-like shape. His horns were longer, and his nails had thickened into wickedly curved talons. He was over fifteen feet tall, and he rippled with muscle. 

The ghoul, recognizing the bigger threat, lunged at him the same moment Alek launched himself at it. They collided with a tremendous crash, the ground shaking with the force of the impact. The ghoul swung at him, but Alek blocked the blow with a forearm, then dealt the ghoul a titanic blow to its chest, the force of the punch actually creating a shockwave that flattened the grass around them. Seeing an opening, Zan dove through the shield again and up under the ghoul's guard , dealing a nasty cut along its ribs. When the ghoul tried to swipe at him, Alek was there, deflecting the blow with a backhand sweep of his arm.

He socked the ghoul again, and the beast staggered back, Gren materializing from the other side in a similar move to what Zan had dine moments before. Tracy was pumping shot after shot into the monster through gaps between them, her timing and precision absolutely perfect. 

Every time the ghoul would try to attack either Gren or Zan, Alek would get in the way, blocking or deflecting its attacks, then delivering a massive blow of his own. When the beast was off balance, Zan and Gren would dart in, dealing cuts with their poisoned blades, and Tracy kept blasting away at it, keeping it angry and distracted. 

With a howl of rage, it suddenly tried to bull rush them, and Alek seized his chance. He leaned forward, grabbed the ghoul's ears, and yanked its head down. At the same moment, he flapped his wings and brought up his knee with all his might. 

CRACK

The sound of the ghoul's nose being shattered was akin to a very large branch being broken. It staggered back from him drunkenly, thick black blood oozing from its ruined face. 

"Zan! Gren! Alek! Fastball Special!" Essylla suddenly yelled. 

All three moved simultaneously. 

Gren and Zan sprinted at Alek from either side, then leapt into the air, turning sideways as they did so. 

At the same moment, Alek swept his wings forward as hard as he could. 

The two assassins were rocketed towards the ghoul, and Riah dropped a holding spell on it, freezing the beast for that crucial fraction of a second the boys needed. They struck it at the same time, each with a sword buried up to the hilt in one of the ghoul's eyes and out through the back of its head. 

The ghoul froze for a long moment, then, very slowly, toppled backwards, hitting the ground with a crash like a massive tree being felled.

Once again, silence descended for a long moment. 

Until once again Gren spoke up. 

"I know we talked about that move, but I honestly never expected it to actually be useful," he said, yanking his sword out of the dead ghoul and setting about cleaning the blade on the grass. "Now, would you care to explain why you look like a wet dream of Damarinth right now?" 

I may just put some more of these here for you guys!

@kitvinslakte ​​ @nox919 ​​ @dierotenixe ​​ @stuck-in-theclouds ​​ @apenvssword ​​ @wildforestferret ​​ @krceramics ​​ @starsdreaming ​​

[leximpwrites]

Inspiration

As I said in the last post, this was the random bit of writing that inspired my current project. 

********************

Our country has been beset upon by monsters. 

That's what we were told, what we grew up believing. It's why I became a Hunter; to protect the people and country I loved from the things I was told were threatening it. 

And I was very good at it. Very. Good. 

But let me ask you something. 

What would you do if you discovered that after years of being told you were on the side of the angels, it was actually devils giving the orders?

Would you just bury your head in the sand and pretend like you never saw anything? Lie to yourself, and say you were mistaken, that you couldn't have seen and heard the things you did. That you must have been missing some piece of context?

Or would you stand up and do the right thing, knowing that it would cost you everything you ever achieved, ever worked for, went against everything you had ever believed in?

Tough choice, huh? 

Well, let me tell you my story. Then perhaps you can make that call on your own. 

*************************

Engaging, huh? Lol. Anywho, onwards!

@officialleehadan @kitvinslakte @nox919 @dierotenixe @stuck-in-theclouds @gyvorn12 @apenvssword @wildforestferret @krceramics @starsdreaming

[leximpwrites]

HOLY CRAP I DID IT

For the first time in my life, I have managed to complete a story. I have never written one from beginning to end without running out of ideas halfway through and having to abandon the project. This is a HUGE milestone for me as a writer, and I could not be prouder of myself.

Once more, thank you to the lovely and amazing @officialleehadan who encouraged me every step of the way, and who created the amazing world of Sunborn. Also a special thank you to my heartsib @kitvinslakte for being such an enthusiastic sounding board, and was quite possibly even more excited about this story than I was. Finally, thank you to all of you who have read my stuff and enjoyed it. It still blows my mind that there are people out there who actually like my scribbled rambling.

Once more, thank you all. ^_^

@nox919 @starsdreaming @wildforestferret @collectivelyrandom @stuck-in-theclouds @krceramics @apenvssword @dierotenixe @iron-vixen @stealthyjam

[leximpwrites]

Seeker 1

The first part of my current project! Please bear in mind that this is still a work in progress, and these may or may not be the final versions. As always, feedback is appreciated and encouraged! Also an fyi, these chapters will probably average between 1,500 and 2,500 words each, so I’ll be sticking them behind page breaks. Also just so you guys know what you’re getting into. Lol

@officialleehadan​ @kitvinslakte​ @nox919​ @dierotenixe​ @stuck-in-theclouds​ @gyvorn12​ @apenvssword​ @wildforestferret​ @krceramics​ @starsdreaming​ @wordsdreaming

The musical ringing of a sword clearing its sheath is actually the first sign of trouble, though to be completely honest, I'm really not paying attention to the rest of the bar. I'm intent on the map in front of me, and the places the owner is marking on it. 

I turn to look over my shoulder and see three toughs, blades drawn, facing off against a pair of personal guards who are escorting a young noble boy, and who is currently hiding behind them. 

"Ye spilled mah drink, ye stupid cur!" snarls the largest of the three. He has the rolling burr of the mountain tribes to the north, and a face only a mother could love, nose clearly having been broken in three places, several ugly scars, and a large wart on his left cheek. 

"Back off, commoner!" the older of the two guards growls back, a short sword in one hand, a long knife in the other. He has the air of an experienced fighter, and I would bet good money on him being able to handle any two of the three in front of him without too much effort. "I'm no fool! You were trying to lift milord's purse!"

"Liar!" the northerner yells, and lunges forward. 

He doesn't even get close.

I'm always impressed with how quiet my apprentice can be when he has a mind to. Even I'm slightly surprised when Jax seems to materialize out of nowhere behind the three thugs. He catches the leader almost out of midair, and tosses him halfway across the room. The thug lands on a table, which was never made to take that kind of abuse, and crashes to the floor. Before the other two can react, he grabs each one by their collars, and slams them into each other. Stunned, they collapse in a heap on the floor.

The situation dealt with, Jax looks up and catches my eye, before smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, sir."

"No, good job, Jax," I tell him approvingly. I turn back to the barkeep and hand him several gold regents, and then several more. "These are for the mess and table, and those are for the information." 

He bobs his head gratefully and pockets the coins. "Thankee, Sir Seeker," he says with a genuine smile. "You an' yours are always welcome 'ere." 

I nod my thanks and signal to Jax to pick up the two at his feet while I retrieve the northerner from the wreckage of the table. The young noble and his two guards take that as their cue and quietly slip out the door. I make a mental note of the house sigil on one of the guards sleeves. I’ll pay them a visit tomorrow and make sure the boy is alright. It never hurts to cultivate goodwill amongst the upper class.

"We'll drop this trash off at the Guard house on our way back to the barracks," I say, both to the barkeep and to Jax, before we turn and head outside. It's raining lightly, typical for this time of year, and it rouses the three miscreants from their semi-conscious daze. They struggle briefly, dismayed to find themselves in the custody of two Seekers. I keep a close eye on them, wary of any tricks they might have. A hidden blade, or some other unpleasantness.

"So, what did the barkeep give us, sir?" Jax asks, shoving the two men ahead of him roughly as we head down the stone street. Imperial Engineers are truly masters of their craft, the road paved with broad, triangular stones.

"Some good, solid information, and a worrying pattern," I tell him, retrieving the city map from the belt pouch I had stuffed it into. The bartender had marked a number of spots, and I point them out. "Look at the number of sightings there have been in just this district alone."

"What do you think, a nest?" he asks after looking it over, sounding a little nervous. Sometimes I forget that despite his size, Jax is still a lad. 

"Most likely," I reply as we round a corner and spot the Guard house up ahead. The soldier on duty salutes us smartly, and hands our prisoners off to one of his subordinates after we explain what happened.

I resume our conversation once we head back out into the rain. "Probably a new queen in the catacombs under the city trying to stake out its territory."

I suppose I should introduce myself before we get any further into my tale, huh?

My name is Zepara Alchanic, and I, along with my apprentice Jaxus Luteno, are Royal Seekers currently stationed in Throne City, the capital of the Human Empire. 

And what are Seekers, you ask? We're monster hunters. Damn good ones, too. Tailor made for our job through a series of alchemical and magical transformations called The Proofing. It gives us the physical traits we need to fight monsters, and years of training gives us the skills.

Sometimes, in my darker moments, I wonder just how much we give up to become what we are. 

But usually, I feel the trade is worth it. I am very good at what I do. Technically my oath is to serve the Eternal King, but I see it as less loyalty to the crown, and more loyalty to the nation and its people. My job is to hunt down and destroy monsters that threaten the lives of everyday citizens. 

But back to my tale. 

I give Jax's shoulder an encouraging pat, despite the fact that I have to reach well above my own head to do it.

 "Don't worry, lad," I say, careful to keep my tone light. No need to worry the boy. "Even a full nest isn't much of a threat to a pair of Seekers who know what they're headed into. Just stick by me, remember your training, and you'll be fine." 

That seems to lift his spirits, and he nods, then begins studiously checking over his gear. I watch him for a moment, making sure he’s doing it properly. Satisfied he’s going about it just as I taught him, I follow suit. A Seeker relies on their gear. If your gear fails you in a fight, you’re dead, pure and simple.

Taking on a shade nest would actually be a good challenge for Jax, now that I think about it. He’s been progressing well since I became his mentor four years ago, but he tends to underestimate himself, and it holds him back a little. This will be a good way to show him what he can really do, and give his ego a healthy boost in the process. 

We finish our gear-check just as we reach the entrance to the underground portion of the city. There are thousands of miles of tunnels, galleries, and cellars under Throne City.

Originally it was just the mines under the dwarf fortress-city that is now the Imperial Palace, but over the centuries each generation dug their own underground portions and linked it into the already existing network, The end result of that, of course, being a complex labyrinth of truly staggering size. 

It can be very, very easy to get lost down there. 

I dig out a key that every Seeker is given when they complete their training. It gives us access to places like this. I unlock the steel gate that bars the stairwell down, and lock it behind us once we're through. We have to bend almost double to fit, as these ceilings were not designed with a seven foot Seeker in mind. Twice I hear Jax mutter a curse behind me as he bumps his head on something, and I have to bite back a laugh. I might be having a hard time, but the poor boy must find it almost unbearable. 

It isn’t long before we reach the bottom of the steps, and I straighten gratefully, in what appears to be a storeroom for one of the restaurants or inns above us. The walls are lined with sacks, crates, and barrels filled with various foodstuffs, all neatly organized and clearly labeled. 

I sniff the air, catching the rotten-meat stink of our prey almost at once. I hear Jax doing the same a moment later, and I nod my approval when he points down a nearby passage.

"Over that way, I think," he says, and grins when he sees me nod. We draw our paired ton-filar, heavy long-bladed fighting daggers with brass knuckles built into the grip, and a short four inch spike at the other end. They’re vicious weapons, specifically made for close in fighting, and designed to give us as many ways to hurt an enemy as possible with a single implement.

Most Seeker gear and weaponry is designed this way. It gives us an edge. And believe you me, when you're fighting the kinds of beasties we do, it always comes in handy. 

We move off in the direction of the scent, careful to keep our blades up before us. The passageway is narrow, so Jax leads the way, and I follow closely, walking backwards to make sure nothing tries to sneak up on us.

We continue down the tunnel, following our noses, until it opens up again into another wide room. The smell is horrendous, and I hear Jax gag a little. 

"Breathe through your mouth," I advise him. "It helps."

I scan the room, taking everything in all at once. Trash, rotting food, and less identifiable detritus litter the floor, and the far corner of the room is buried under a mass of reeking filth that rises to the ceiling. I curse myself for not thinking. As soon as they hear my voice, shades come pouring out of the nest, chittering angrily, eager for a meal.

Shades aren't big, about the size of a cat, and aren’t especially threatening. They look like a hairless rat with an odd, bird-like head. They're not even hard to kill. A good solid kick from a normal human is enough to put an end to one. 

The problem is, there's never just one. 

They breed fast, in clutches of seven or eight, every three weeks. They carry disease, and spread rot wherever they go. Nobody knows how they came to be, but we know that dark magic spawned them, because all our monster hunting tricks work just fine. 

"Grenades!” I snap, following my own advice, withdrawing one from the belt pouch I keep them in. 

Grenades are expensive kit, but absolutely priceless when dealing with swarms of creatures like shades. A small sphere packed with gunpowder, enclosed within an outer sphere of cold iron plated with silver, and the space between the two filled with a mixture of rock salt and holy water. 

We light them with a flick of the thumb against the special alchemical fuse, and then toss them into the middle of the pack. They detonate with a surprising level of force for such small weapons, shaking some dirt loose from the ceiling. Between the explosion, holy water, and rock salt, dozens of the little beasts vanish into puffs of dirty smoke. Dozens more are killed as shrapnel scythes into the massed bodies.

The remainder of the pack, their numbers thinned by the grenades, rush us. Jax and I spin around each other, years of training giving us the skill to fight in such a tight space against a swarm of enemies. I skewer a pair on my ton-filar, turn, and catch another mid-air in the chest with one of the pommel spikes. Jax ducks around me and punches down the two that are trying to leap on me from behind, and boots another in the face when it tries to bite at him. It careens back into its fellows and takes them down in a tangle.

With a chattering shriek that makes us both wince, the queen and her nest guard emerge. 

Easily three times the size of their smaller fellows, the nest guard are huge, slavering beasts with glittering red eyes, long, sharp beak-like mouths, and wicked claws. The queen is even bigger and nastier, her belly swollen with her current clutch. 

"Blast her!" Jax calls, and I nod, quietly impressed. We whirl with skill and speed that no human could hope to match, as we trade blades for the coach guns, safely secured across our backs. Jax's is the typical, blunt-nosed, over-under variant favored by most Seekers. 

But mine…

Mine is a work of art. It was a gift, made for me by the master weapon-alchemist Argius Cratona of Wavedancer, after I rescued his daughter from a lich during my apprenticeship. It has six barrels, twice the length of a standard coach gun, arranged in a circle around a single larger barrel at the center. The steel barrels are polished to a mirror shine, and ornate, curling scrollwork is etched into each one. The solid cherrywood grip and stock is chased with brass and burnished to a deep, warm glow. The gun's name, Sophia, is inscribed on a small brass plate embedded in the stock.

It has three triggers. The first two are tied to three of the six outer barrels each, so that a single trigger pull fires three bursts of cold iron and silver shot at once. 

The third trigger goes to the center barrel, which fires a specially made bullet created by Cratona. Called a Decimator Round, it’s a solid slug of cold iron coated in silver, and infused with powerful alchemical compounds that detonate once inside a target. Every month he sends me a box with thirty of the hefty, hand-sized shells, along with notes from him and his daughter. I’ve kept a steady correspondence with them both over the years, and never once in all my time as a Seeker has Sophia failed to kill the monster it was aimed at.  

But I digress. 

We fire together, then fire again, the booming report of our guns thunderously loud in the enclosed cellar, filling the far side of the room with a blizzard of shot that tears the queen and her guards to bloody shreds. Jax and I deftly snap open the breeches of our guns, ejecting the spent casings and replacing them with fresh, though I take a moment longer due to the extra barrels.

Silence descends for several long minutes as we wait to see if any more shades come out of the darkness, but either we had killed them all, or the remaining few were smart enough to scatter.

"I think we're done here," I decide at last, holstering Sophia, and Jax follows my example. I wave for him to follow, and head back the way we had come. "You did good work back there, Jax, very well done. I'm impressed."

Jax ducks his head, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "Thank you, sir, but I only did what I thought was best."

"Which is exactly what you should do," I tell him firmly, with a smile. "You acted as a Seeker should, and I'm proud of you. You have solid battle instincts, and you don't have any lack in terms of skill. You've learned everything I've taught you so far, and learned it well. You do me credit as your mentor, and yourself as a Seeker."

Jax is left speechless. I stifle a small twinge of guilt. Perhaps I’ve been a bit sparse with praise up until now. Well, that can be fixed easily enough. 

"Come on, lad," I say, ducking low to head back up the stairs. "Let's go get something to eat. I would say we've earned our supper tonight."

[leximpwrites]

Seeker 2

The second chapter of the project I’m working on! After this, I will be posting new chapters at least once a week, but as I said in an earlier post, if I get possessed by a writing gremlin and bang out three chapters in a week, then that’s how many you’ll get! Lol As always, I love to hear what y’all think, so please feel free to leave a reply!

@officialleehadan​​ @kitvinslakte​​ @nox919​​ @dierotenixe​​ @stuck-in-theclouds​​ @gyvorn12​​ @apenvssword​​ @wildforestferret​​ @krceramics​​ @starsdreaming​​ @wordsdreaming​

We eat at the Silver Star. Its one of the few taverns in the city that understands how much food a Skeer needs to eat, and feeds us well. After, we head back up the hill in the general direction of the Seeker barracks. I've never liked that name; it sounds so military and austere. The reality is much different. 

Our barracks are a sprawling estate in Hightower that provides all the space we need to live, train, and study. After centuries of Seeker occupation, the estate is appointed with luxuries from all over the world, carried home by the Seekers who live here. I've added many myself, in fact. Call it sentimentality, but there's something to be said for making a place feel like home. 

And if anyone is touchy about our owning the place, well, it's no more than we're due, if you ask me. We put our lives on the line every day for the sake of the people. I'd say a little luxury isn't an unreasonable reward.

We make our way through the wrought iron gate and head up the gravel path. All around us, fellow Seekers go about their business. The salle and training yards are off to our left. I share a nod with the weaponmaster on our way past, but don't keep his attention as he barks orders. There are more than a dozen foundlings drilling under his watchful eye, their purity charms glittering under the light of the torches. To our right, the riding fields and the stables where we breed and raise the huge striders that Seekers use in place of horses. 

“Shall I come with you to report, sir?” Jax asks, pausing inside the grand entryway after we walk through the immense bronze doors. I shake my head.

“No, that’s alright, lad,” I tell him. “I’ll report to the Old Wolf for the both of us. You go take care of your gear and then get yourself a bath.” He nods and smiles gratefully, heading off in the direction of his rooms in the east wing, whistling an old farmer’s tune. I turn and head in the opposite direction, towards the marshal's office in the east wing

The floor is carpeted with deep black, the wood paneling of the walls a rich walnut, polished smooth. The place always smells clean, with hints of incense, woodsmoke, and the oils we use to clean our weapons. Shelves piled high with scrolls and books of all kinds line the walls at regular intervals. If there is a system for their organization, it’s not one that I’ve ever seen before.

“Enter!” comes the gruff order when I knock politely, and I step through the door before coming to attention and saluting sharply, right fist over my hearts.

“Sir,” I say, looking at a point just over the head of High Marshal Imtaral. “Seeker Second Class, Alchanic reporting in.”

“At ease, Zepara,” he says distractedly, and I immediately relax offer a smile. 

Djared Imtaral was my mentor back when I was the same age as Jax, and I credit much of my success and skill to the lessons he taught me. He’s known among the Seekers as “The Old Wolf”, and it’s a very apt moniker. He looks like one. An old, tired, grey wolf, though one that is still more than capable of putting the young pups around it in their places. He’s nearly three hundred years old now, and may well hold his post for another sixty years or so before he retires, barring mishap or illness. He trained scores of us over the years. I was his last apprentice before our previous High Marshal, Lord Barray, retired and Imartal took his place. 

As always, his desk, an old wooden monstrosity he keeps threatening to burn, is covered in papers. He has half a dozen piles before him, and a larger stack at his right hand. Some he sets aside, and others get a quick, scrawling signature. 

Some he glares at, hoping they might simply burst into flames and leave him in peace.

My old teacher does not like paperwork. 

“So, how is the youngster doing?” he asks me, gesturing to one of the chairs across from him with his pen. “Luteno, is it?”

“Jaxus Luteno, yes,” I confirm, taking a seat “We found a shade nest that had recently taken root in the Whitebone District of the Outer Ring. Completely purged, got the queen and the nest guard all in one go. I let him take the lead on it, and I’m proud to say that he did spectacularly.”

“Do you think he’s ready for advancement?” he asks, shuffling through the stack of papers on his desk, absently reading and signing off on things as we’re talking. "I've kept an eye on his progress, and he seems to be doing very well."

I consider his question for a few moments before replying. “I would say that it wouldn’t be inappropriate to advance him.”

“But?” he prods, raising an inquisitive brow at me.

“But I would feel less uneasy if we gave it a little more time,” I admit, feeling a little uncomfortable. “It’s not that I have any doubts about his skill, it’s that I’m worried I may not have taught him everything that he needs to know.”

Imtaral chuckles, giving me a look that is both sympathetic and proud at the same time. “Welcome to the reality of being a teacher, my young friend. We just do the best we can and hope that it’s enough.”

I sag into my seat. He's right. I know he's right. I don't even disagree with him, but... Jax is my first apprentice, and I want to make sure I don't screw him up.

“However,” he continues, recapturing my wandering focus. “Yours is not an uncommon sentiment, so I will do what has been done numerous times before now. I will authorize him to advancement from Initiate to Seeker First Class, and assign him as your partner from this point forward until we have need of him elsewhere. Will that suit you?”

I breath out a quiet sigh of relief and nod, feeling a profound rush of gratitude towards my old mentor. “That will do fantastically, sir,” I say, getting to my feet and saluting again. “With your leave, oh wisest of leaders, I would like to go and give the good news to my apprentice and then get out of this gear and into a bath.”

He laughs and flaps a hand at me. “Go, you rogue, out of my sight before I have you thrown into the dungeons!”

I grin as I turn to leave. “You don’t have a dungeon, master.”

“Then I’ll have one built just for you!” he calls after me as I exit his office, completing the old joke between us. 

I snicker to myself and head off down the hall to find Jax so I can deliver the good news.

*******************

Three weeks later, and we finally receive our first assignment. During this time, Jax and I have been patrolling the city, mainly in the Outer Ring. He's been doing well since his promotion to Seeker First Class, now more confident in his abilities than he has ever been before. He's an excellent partner; we work well together, and he's bold enough now to make his own decisions, while still being smart enough to defer to my greater level of experience when I offer advice. 

I'm proud of him. 

My only qualm is that I still haven't gotten him to stop calling me 'sir'. As soon as he gets distracted, he slips back into his old habits, and the 'sir' comes back.

I guess I shouldn't judge. I do it to Imtaral, myself.

A message runner finds us on our way out of an apothecary, having just finished putting down a stalker that the idiot was keeping for fresh ingredients. Naturally, it got loose and killed him along with three of his customers. 

"Why would someone think that was a good idea?" Jax complains, wiping his silver-edged broadsword clean of viscera under a nearby fountain. He's limping; the stalker managed to get in a good bite on his calf. "Graaah that stings! Of course it got loose! It's a bloody stalker!" 

Stalker venom is nasty stuff, able to kill a normal human in minutes. Seekers are highly resistant to poison though, so he’s not in any danger of dying. He will, however, be miserable for the next few days while the venom works its way out of his body.

I chuckle and pat him on the shoulder. "You did well in there," I say, crouching down next to him and inspecting the wound on his leg while pulling my aid kit out of my coat. Seeker long-coats are quite possibly my favorite piece of gear besides my coach-gun, Sophia. Essentially a collection of pockets sewn into a knee-length overcoat, the heavy leather is treated with both oil and magic to repel water, acid, and insects. Strips of fine chainmail sewn into the sleeves, shoulders, and chest offer protection that I've needed more often than I like to admit.

A tap on my shoulder makes me turn, one hand going to my blades as I curse myself for my own distraction. When a young page jumps away from me, eyes round with fear, I curse again and bare my empty hands to reassure him.

"Sorry, lad, I didn't hear you," I say gently with an apologetic smile, keeping my hands where he can see them. He's more startled than properly afraid, but I take care to keep from frightening him again. Gods above, but we must be a sight after dealing with the blasted stalker. "We just finished a nasty fight in there, so I'm still a little keyed up."

The boy nods once and grins, showing two missing teeth. "Aye, sirrah, no harm done," he says, then holds out his mark book. "Gots a message for ye here, if'n ye'll sign for't."

I scribble down my signature and hand him back the book along with two silver regents, which he takes with a pleased grin. 

"Thankee, sirrah!" he says with delight, and hands me the tightly furled message scroll. "Ye be have'n a good day now!" He gives me a little salute with two fingers and then dashes off up the street to deliver his next message. 

I unroll the parchment and quickly scan the contents. What I read chills me. Jax picks up on my mood instantly. 

"Trouble, sir?" he asks, more curious than concerned. 

"Aye, trouble," I agree, catching his attention. Without preamble, I hand him the scroll as I return to dealing with his leg. 

"By order of High Marshal Djared Imtaral, Commander of Imperial Seeker Operations," Jax reads aloud. "Seeker Second Class Zepara Alchanic and Seeker First Class Jaxus Luteno are hereby ordered to proceed with all haste to the city of Strovostgard. A high priority target has been identified in the area. You are to rendezvous with an additional five Seeker teams that have been dispatched and then report to Deputy Marshal Singaren. Additional details will be made available upon arrival." 

Jax's eyes have gone round with surprise, and he turns to look at me. "Six Seeker teams, including us? Depending on the size of the team, that's anywhere from twelve to sixteen of us! The amount of force that many Seekers could bring to bear–" He trials off. 

I nod grimly, tying off the bandage with a careful tug. 

"What on earth could require so many of us?" he says quietly, more to himself than to me, but I answer him anyway, knowing that he's badly shaken at the thought of such a dangerous creature. I know I sure as hell was, the first time.

"The worst kind of monster a Seeker can face," I tell him, getting to my feet and collecting my gear. "Come. This isn't the kind of thing to talk about in the street. Let's head back to the barracks and I'll tell you about the kind of creature that can haunt a Seeker's nightmares."