#drank a jungle potion

[theadventurerslog]

Discworld | Part 9

Part 9 in which I finally lose my mind and start using hints from Universal Hint System (referred to as UHS from now on) a lot more after a bunch of flailing around working on more than one item at a time, because nothing felt like it was working, and there had to be progress somewhere. This Act has wrecked me. The first chunk of this will look all over the place because I was all over the place.

As a reminder of things still needed: A tattoo for the birthmark - so close! Mustache Sword Magic book/spell Camo-flage Magic talisman

So everything.

Carrying on and staring helplessly at notes for things still unsolved, I had the thought that I could scrape the mud off the number plate on the cart at the livery stable with a spatula. No. The muddy plate was to remain unsolved for now still.

While I was at the stable, I tried scissors with the donkey tail and got threatened by the donkey.

I was fairly sure this luxuriant black tail would be related to the mustache somehow and thought maybe I'd need some way to distract the donkey or lift its mood since examining it talks about it seems under the weather.

Nothing I had seemed to do anything, so I switched tracks to the magic talisman and went to talk to the bragging adventurer in the Drum. Once I got him more beer he just fed me a pack of poorly told lies.

I needed the truth potion from Nanny Ogg, but still wasn't sure how to get it, so hint 1. The love potion custard tart. I forgot you could even use stuff on Rincewind.

So I used that and gave Nanny Ogg a big ol' smooch.

She gave me the truth potion and I used it on the beer for the adventurer. He realized I'd spiked it with something though and did the ol' look over there distraction at a picture of a prize winning animal.

Rincewind pointed out a different picture, then the adventurer went again, and there was nothing more to point out, so Rincewind got stuck with drinking the truth potion beer and rambled a bit about some of the stuff we've done in the game to the adventurer's confusion.

There's the wooden beam by the table. I tried hanging up the sheep picture, but the barkeeper will only let award winning animals be displayed.

I realized I could give the blue rosette to the sheep and get another picture.

A champion! As she deserves. Just look at all the already spun wool she's providing

I went through the whole beer switcheroo again, and with the added sheep portrait there was enough distractions for the truth potion beer to be on the adventurer's side. He drank up and admitted to being a lying weasel and that the temple is in a jungle over a gorge and could be found on any map. That opened the gorge location on my map.

I headed straight there and ran into the black monk of Offler from earlier in the game. We got into a tussle.

And he dropped Rincewind into the river far below.

Thankfully, the Luggage always follows and took care of the gators giving chase, so Rincewind clambered back up the paths and returned to the bridge.

I tried using the magic carpet thinking maybe I could fly over the gorge or get stopped from falling. Right solution; wrong reasoning. The carpet gets laid over the bridge and then when the monk approaches, Rincewind yanks it out from under him causing him to fall leaving the bridge free to cross.

I arrived at the Temple of Offler.

Very Indiana Jones inspired place, full of traps. There was even a hat and whip on the hat stand. I also scooped a bandana from there.

Rincewind makes a comment about not wanting to even look at the path. I tried the blindfold on him and that worked as far as doing anything, but since he can't see there was still no way to actually cross.

Just set off a lot of traps and when done, he had an arrow sticking through his hat that he tossed aside. That hat is good for something.

Once again, I couldn't figure out what to do and left to pursue other goals or hope for more information.

And the throwing up hands in despair and getting hints started here.

I found out there was something to do with the spatula in the Shades. Turns out you can scrape away the soot where the person got fried by the dragon for human-shaped soot. Double clicking it in the inventory turns it into a pile of soot. This can apparently be used to disguise yourself as a dragon victim--thus the camo-flage. So that's one item down I guess??

Then it was back to getting that blasted tattoo. Another hint led to the tower which I had completely forgotten about yet again, and it apparently overlooks the square, which I either didn't know or forgot. When I examined the tower it says that but I don't remember if it did in previous acts.

Anyway with the knowledge of that, I figured out I could use the rubber belt as a bungee rope basically and drop down to pluck away the fake tattoo from the street starfish.

Took Rincewind a few bounces but he got it in the end. Finally!

Two of the items acquired!

Since I was already well on the way to getting the Eye of Offler for the magic talisman I went back to the Temple of Offler.

Hints again sigh. I needed to use the leash on the luggage. I didn't realize you could even use inventory on the Luggage. With Rincewind blindfolded and the Luggage not having a care in the world about traps, it was able to lead the blinded Rincewind through the path to the altar.

I couldn't just grab the jewel, but figured I'd need to swap it. I found some sand. I thought, ah, fill something with the sand, like my paper bag and swap them. No. Well, yes and no, but not the paper bag. Oh no. UHS, I give you the floor:

Don't ask why, but your money pouch is the only thing that you can put the sand in.

I'm asking why! The money pouch is like the skills and sticks to Rincewind's inventory. It's never even been used as an inventory item. I've basically been treating it as a passive thing that's let me get items that should be paid for. Is that what Indiana Jones used as well? I don't know! I've only seen a couple of the movies and that was years ago. I barely remember anything about them outside of commonly referenced things.

I got the Eye of Offler anyway so there's my magic talisman.

I got the classic escape sequence with running away from a giant rolling rock.

Once outside it turned out to be a tiny ball and just kind of bounced off Rincewind's foot and onward. Tempered drama.

I returned to Ankh-Morpork to start working on the mustache. I confirmed with UHS I was right about needing the donkey, but I really had no idea what to do and was faced with this oh-so comforting message.

As a first hint here, the troll is a red herring. Don't bother to try to take his moustache or follow his lead or anything like that. And as a bit of a warning, some parts of this solution require some pretty big leaps of faith (and leaps in the subtlety of the hints).

I'm a little annoyed because I probably could have fumbled my way through at least part of the solution based off things I still had noted as needing solving or suspicious even if I would have been confused by the end goal. But I was stymied by having straight up missed an item.

That dirty number plate on the cart has been bugging me for a while and I kept thinking the foamy water would be needed to clean it, but I needed something to clean with. I missed a brush in the fool's bathroom.

So the goal here was to get the donkey elsewhere into a position to cut some of the tail. There have been a number of comments of "Did anyone get the number of that donkey cart" when someone, usually Rincewind, gets stunned. However, the assassin at the alley rooftops does it when falling too. I'd long forgotten that and needed the hint for that.

So, you take the ladder that got put back up there on his route, by cutting the bit of rope holding it in place with the knife. I got that bit! Then the assassin falls and asks that question.

If you've cleaned the number plate you find out the number plate says Sore Ass.

If you hadn't cleaned it yet...like me... you have to go through dropping the ladder all over again.

Once that's done the donkey is gone from the stable and ends up in the stocks in the square.

From there simply cut a bit of the tail and presto there's a mustache!

I don't think I would have ever deliberately put all that together... especially since I was already going on the wrong train of thought in regards to the donkey. Still, mustache acquired.

I still needed the sword and the magic book. It'd be nice to think the dragon summoning book would count, but it's actually a spell you need, so to the library. Unlike the convolutions of the other items I just needed to the find the book in the shelves. Essentially a pixel hunt. Yay.

Rincewind read the book and got a spell or the book read him. Either way he's got a spell rattling around his head now and in my inventory.

All I had left to get is the sword! I had no idea how to get that!

Thank you Universal Hint System! I'll probably come running back to you some more for the sword, but I want to give it a whack at least...

#discworld #discworld game #adventure games #discworld_log

[elgaberino-mcoc]

KRAVEN THE HUNTER Sergei Kravinoff

This blog article explores gamer-community ideas for a playable Marvel Contest of Champions Kraven character based on the literary figure of the same name.

Why Do We Care?

Though not as mainstreamed as the other major Spidey villains, Kraven is considered one of the best among Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. He has been frequently rumored to be material for an upcoming film.

Envisioning a Playable MCOC Kraven

Probable Class

He could be Skill, Science, or Mystic. 

Skill seems likely since he primarily relies on his hunting skills. But he amplifies his abilities by drinking a concoction—which sounds like Science. But as Diablo taught us, not all concoctions are Science-class. Kraven’s is made of some kind of mystical jungle herbs—which sounds like Mystic, unless those herbs fall in the same category as the heart-shaped herb Black Panther (Skill class) uses.

In a poll of 44 Summoners in October 2020, approximately 80% of those polled said he would be Skill, not Science or Mystic.

Likely and Plausible Playable Attributes

Attributes include durability, resilience, maybe learning and Defensive Ability Accuracy Reduction, and probably ranged weapons. His tracking and trapping skills might translate to debuffs like Slow or Root. Knives and blow darts could translate to Bleed and Poison damage-over-time debuffs. As a savage grappler and fighter, he could deal other debuffs like Fatigue, Concussion, or Dislocate.

He would be a perfect champ to experiment with area-of-effect abilities like Gas or Tangle, or his use of nets and traps could just translate to an Ensnare debuff. 

Kraven is also a skilled animal trainer, so his special attacks might feature wild cats or other animals under his command. 

His knowledge of medicine and occult potions and his immortality could give him some low-level Regeneration, or could mean that while he can be knocked-out, he rarely requires a Revive. Imaginejim’s Kraven build (see below) envisions Kravinoff immune to Fatigue, Exhaustion, and Weakness debuffs.

In November 2020, content creator imaginejim suggested Kabam incorporate up- and down-swipes into the game. A theoretical use for down-swipe: laying traps. Multiple Summoners thought Kraven’s kit would be good occasion for this trap-laying feature. Jim also imagines new debuffs called Hunted and Tranquilized.

Possible Synergies

The current champ in the game with whom Kraven may have the most in common is monster-hunter Elsa Bloodstone. One big-game hunter among future champs is Lady Hellbender, another, monster-hunter Hellsgaard. Other (potentially) Mystic class spider-hunters are the Inheritors Karn and Morlun. Further future pursuers include Inhuman hunter Lash, god-hunters Mangog, Desak, the Gorgon, and Gorr the God-Butcher, bounty hunters Death’s Head, Silver Sable, and Black Cat, and of course Korath the Pursuer. Other hunters include mutant-stalkers Caliban, Nimrod, and Omega Sentinel and most instances of Sentinel tech.

Fellow Spider-Man rogues include Rhino, Green Goblin, Electro, Venom, Beetle (Janice Lincoln), Boomerang, Hobgoblin, Lizard, Sandman, Scorpion, Shocker, Stilt-Man, Swarm, and the White Rabbit.

The other guy who drinks potions, in-game, would be Diablo (with whom imaginejim suggests a “Drinking Buddies” synergy). And again, Black Panthers are his fellow “Skill-class champs who drink a mysterious herbal potion that enhances their abilities.”

Ares, Arkon, Conan, Hercules, Ka-Zar, Kull, and Skull the Slayer are all fellow legendary men of skill who happen not to wear shirts.

Kraven in Other Games

He appears in numerous Spider-Man branded games. Kraven also appeared in Marvel Heroes, Marvel: War of Heroes, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, and current mobile games Marvel Future Fight and Marvel Puzzle Quest.

Kraven and Summoners

As of mid-February 2020, Kraven had nearly 350 mentions on the MCOC message boards (an apparent board search malfunction is hampering updates of this number). As of December 2020 he has over 180 mentions on the Wishlist 3.0 thread. He is perpetually in the top 10 (and sometimes top 5) of the MCOC Wishlist Poll, where as of December 2020, nearly 3,200 Summoners have voted.

Full Work-Ups

• Content creator imaginejim’s fan-made Kraven (depicted below) • Summoner notsavage19′s work-up of Kraven • Summoner Megamind’s work-up

NEWS

October 29, 2020: Gabe says the October 21 reference to a champ in development wasn't Morbius, so Kraven is one of nine characters who might currently be in development for MCOC.

October 21, 2020: Kabam Gabe says one of this date’s Wishlist top 10 is currently in development. Kraven was in the top 10 at that time, so Kraven is one of ten characters who might be currently in-development for MCOC.

February 14, 2020: Summoner Jim Cassidy Tweeted a 36-character grid of characters he’d like to see in the game. Kabam Gabe replied that “a bunch” of those characters are in development.

December 11, 2019: Content Creator KatyCandy16 requests Kraven for 2020.

November 23, 2019: Rich the Man speculates (incorrectly) Kraven sighting on-screen, speculates Kraven for 2020

October 24, 2019: I predicted #MCOC might not see Kraven in 2020.

#kraven the hunter #villain #sinister six #shirtless bros of legend #hunter #big game hunter #mcoc class mystic #mcoc class skill #mcoc class science #pursuit #top ten #drank a jungle potion #character spotlight #spider hunter #spider man rogue #spiderverse

[creativerogues]

50 Magical Origins...

You touched a strange rune-covered stone and was engulfed by its glowing energies.

You were bitten by a strange creature that then disappeared into the wilderness.

You hugged a tree that was attuned to a place of great power.

You ate a immortal insect that still sits in your stomach.

You accidentally transported yourself to the Astral Plane after consuming a strange magical substance.

You spoke to a phantasmal being while you slept.

You accidentally entered the ceremonial chambers of a lost temple.

Your ancestor claimed to be a powerful medicine man, but in fact worked with otherworldly magics to heal others.

Your skin became fused with a strange alloy metal dust, which was actually the ground up scales of a metallic dragon!

You found an ancient idol of unknown origins buried in an old field.

You took part in an arcane military experiment to develop a humanoid war machine.

You were exposed the strange energies of a glowing meteorite.

You breathed the magical spores of a prehistoric mould recovered from an amber chunk.

You fell ill from a mysterious illness that rode to earth on the surface of an alien space capsule.

You discovered a cave filled with giant crystals that released pulsating, glowing energies.

You were stung by several transmuted wasps that had been warped with a new form of magic.

Your father or mother was secretly an inter-dimensional traveller.

You were born of a failed cloning experiment and escaped the grounds before being destroyed.

Your grand-father was a performer who made some dark deals to gain fame and fortune.

You survived a magical explosion!

You were exposed to wild cosmic powers while picking through the remains of fallen space junk.

You accidentally breathed in the dust of a King’s tomb while exploring a ruined structure.

Your body was transformed after breathing in a toxic alchemical smog.

You consumed some unknown fruit found deep in a savage jungle.

You came into contact with a strange sludge flowing out of a flooded ditch near an old alchemist’s shop.

You participated in a strange experiment involving man-made magical fields.

You performed a magical ritual found in a strange, dusty old book.

You drank the waters of a mystical fountain.

You had a strange, almost allergic reaction to an experimental magical potion.

You consumed a strange tasting herbal tea while visiting an cackling old fortune teller.

You great grand-mother was the high priestess of a savage tribe.

You were taught ancient secrets of mind over matter by an elderly mage.

You survived a fall into a vat containing a strange new alchemical substance.

You were struck by lightning while visiting a historical site during a brewing storm.

You were bitten by a lizard while visiting a series of old magically ruined towns located far away from any modern civilization.

You were exposed to a previously unknown mineral ore during a mining accident.

You were kidnapped by strange creatures and forced to participate in bizarre experiments.

Your latent magical powers activated when you were accidentally electrocuted.

You snorted a bizarre looking ash while getting high on street drugs at a dive bar.

You consumed a bizarre tasting elixir purchased from an old alchemist’s shop.

You fell into a bizarre, dream-filled trance when visiting an old medieval tower.

You rode in a boat that was in engulfed with strange energies from a magical sea storm.

You survived the accidental release of a magical modified disease.

You purchased a mysterious ancient war mask from a back alley antique store.

You survived being struck by a falling crystalline meteor, with a shard still buried in your back.

You were once an Imp, but a strange surge of magic during your "Promotion" trapped your Soul in a Mortal Humanoid body.

You were once part of an illegal gambling ring, winning a Wizard's Spellbook in a Game of Chance. Sometimes you find yourself writing in that old Wizard's hand-writing.

You were grievously wounded by a powerful Dragon, but not before landing a blow on the creature. Your bloods mingled and some of its powers were shunted into you!

Your Soul wandered the depths of the Shadowfell, before arriving at the Fortress of Memories, where pity was taken upon you and you were reincarnated as a second chance at life.

You worked at an old clock tower. One day time seemed to stop for just a moment while you stood before the gears, but then it ticked along once more...

#dungeons & dragons #Dungeons and Dragons #dnd #DnD 5e #dnd 5e character #dnd 5e homebrew #d&d #d&d 5e #D&D 5e homebrew #character creation #creativerogues

[aurabird]

Desperation

What does one do when your own memories are your weakness?

You forget even if it costs you everything you know.

Sausage has no other options left.

Not gonna lie, this one hurt me emotionally to write.

Tw: Mentions of cruelty and memory wiping (consensual). As usual though its not super graphic

Link to Ao3

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

Sausage ran through dense foliage of the jungle in a panic, not caring about anything else other than just getting far, far, away from Mythland at all costs and sticking to the treeline so that he didn’t risk getting too close to the Lost Empire.

His lungs burned, his legs ached, his body was screaming at him to stop and rest. But he couldn’t rest, not now, not after finally managing to get control of his own mind. He...he didn’t know how long he’d be lucid like this, he didn’t know how long it’d be before he was imprisoned within his own consciousness and forced to watch as it used him to do horrible things to his friends...his family.

He was there when Xornoth tortured Fwhip, watched as the demon inflicted pain on the man he had come to call a brother in attempts to corrupt. Veins of crimson pulsating under the Count's skin in branching webs.

He was there when Xornoth played mind games with Gem, trying to break her spirit, trying to get into her head and control her to.

And he was there when Kathrine begged for mercy as the iron shackles burned her wrists and ankles due to her fae blood while the demon laughed at her misery and suffering, trying to crush her will so she’d surrender and join him willingly.

The amethyst roofs of crystal cliffs came into view, a ray of hope in the darkness giving him the adrenaline he needed.

He dodged the magic fired at him by the guards, he should have known that she’d put out the command to attack him on sight. He didn’t care when a warning beacon was lit, he didn’t care that he was currently the most wanted person in the empire.

Sausage ducked and wove between trees and buildings, hid in hollows and overhangs as he scaled the mountain leading up to the Head Wizard’s tower. He couldn’t get caught, they’d kill him if he was.

The mountain peaks were cold and sent a shiver through him, his warlock attire not designed for the freezing temperatures. Still, he pressed on.

By the time he reached the giant door he collapsed on his knees in exhaustion and knocked weakly.

Please...please let her have heard it...

Warmth hit him as the door opened and he was met with Gem standing in the frame. Her face was a mix of different emotions; confusion, shock, fear...hatred.

“G-Gem...h-help me...please...I don’t know...how long I have...before...it...”

He didn’t have the strength to finish his plea, collapsing forward into the snow from exhaustion. His instincts were telling him to go to sleep and rest, but he knew that the moment he closed his eyes that he’d next wake up not himself.

Time moved slowly for him as he struggled to stay conscious. One moment he was on freezing snow, the next he was on a couch before a fire.

Something was pressed to his lips and Sausage drank what was offered to him; the burning, bitter-sweet taste of a strength potion going down his throat before beginning to take effect.

“Sausage? Sausage can you hear me?” Gem asked, worry yet caution in her voice.

"I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry!” he recited, his voice cracking, “I didn’t want to free it! I never wanted to free it! I just...I just wanted...I just wanted to have SOMETHING, some kind of power to call my own! It...it promised me I would if I helped make it stronger and...and by the time I realized it was lying to me...it already could take control of my body like a puppet!”

“Sausage...it’s alright, calm down. Deep breaths, in and out.”

He followed the instructions given to him and slowly, his panic died down, he could think clearly...he could think for himself.

That is when he noticed that it wasn’t just Gem in the room with him, Fwhip stood at her side, his expression a mix of different emotions.

“Better?” Gem asked, he gave a nod in reply. “Ok, good. Care to explain what exactly is going on?”

Sausage told them everything. How Xornoth took advantage of his nativity when it came to magic and his desire to have power of his own. How sometimes he had control over his body, and that other times it was all the demon’s influence. Sometimes he just wasn’t in control at all and under possession.

“...what do you want me to do, Sausage?”

He sighed, “It uses your memories and emotions against you through manipulation, that’s how it takes control.” his gaze met hers, desperation burning in them, “Gem, it can’t take control...if I have nothing for it to exploit.”

Horror and realization filled the duo’s eyes, “Sausage...” Gem breathed, “You...you realize what you’re asking me to do?”

He nodded, “I do, and the very thought of it terrifies me. But if it means keeping you all safe...I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”

“One Hell of a sacrifice, Sausage.” Fwhip stated bluntly.

“Gem, Fwhip, I’m tired and I want to sleep; but the second I close my eyes it will take control again and next time, it won’t give me a window to escape from. Please, do it for me.”

He saw Gem was on the verge of tears, “You know there’s no other option.”

Silence.

“What...do you want us to tell you when you wake up?”

“Anything that cannot be traced back to Mythland. Keep me from going there at all costs.”

“We promise, Sausage.”

“Thank you, Gem, Fwhip; for everything in this life, even if I may never remember it...and everyone else too. Tell anyone you know you can trust that I’m sorry”

That is when the wizard launched herself at him, embracing him in a hug, Fwhip so following suit. One final hug as family.

“I’m ready. You can do it.”

Gem backed away from him and grabbed her spellbook off the small desk near the couch. Her eyes and the amethyst on her staff glowing brightly as she began to speak.

ᒲᒷᒲ𝙹∷╎ᒷ��� !¡∷ᒷᓵ╎𝙹⚍ᓭ, ᒲᒷᒲ𝙹∷╎ᒷᓭ ↸ᒷᔑ∷ ℸ ̣ ᔑꖌᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷᒲ ᔑ∴ᔑ||, ᔑꖎ𝙹リ⊣ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑ ᔑꖎꖎ ⎓ᒷᔑ∷

A beam of purple light shot from the focus of the staff like a beacon, the beam phasing harmlessly through Sausage’s forehead.

Like the sensation one would experience as they died, he watched with a sad smile as his life played before him in fast forward, going through every memory he had up until now...

...then, darkness. Blissful, welcoming, darkness.

===========================

Translation for the Galactic:

“memories precious, memories dear take them away, along with all fear”

#empires smp #empiresblr #fwhip #mythical sausage #geminitay #may write the PoV for Gem/Fwhip #but not entirely certain

[aloe-puns]

Dropping her journal on the side of her desk, Rosa sat down and went thru the papers that were attemptimg to drown her.

"Due on Monday" "Due on Monday" "Training invitation" "Regarding the mushroom problem" "Due on Thursaday" "The Jungle and how Nita *scratch*" "Bee-cosistem" "From Bibi, but it's from Bull" (How would that even work?) "Invitation from Byron" "Due on wednesday" "The many dangers of the healing mushrooms, a shared investigation" (Why did she even agreed with that one?) "Due on Monday" "Due on Tuesday" "Due-

With a defeated sigh, she let the papers slip thru her fingers, as she sunk down the chair, rubing her temple.

It was going to be one of those weeks, wasn't it? Rosa had been clear for about a month now, and suddenly she had to have one again. Just, great.

Listlessly, the boxer forced her way thru her laboratory, whose usually appreciated damp atmosphere only added to the fatigue from training. At least moving would help her think a bit better...

Suddenly, she felt a light squeeze on her arm. Like usual, Vinny had climed onto her (Could you even call it climbing?) as soon as she got near.

"Aloe, lil bud" Making an effort to at least give her friend a smile, Rosa continued getting deeper and deeper into the greenhouse, the air getting heavier and wetter as they passed. Why did they even put the damn thing so far away? Probably because of something that, at the time, was usefull to past Rosa. But, as always, she didn't exactly think it through. Stupid short term decision making.

Thankfully, just as she finished her inner monologue, Rosa arrived at her destination: The mini fridge, which was right next to the coffe machine. Their improvised kitchen.

With the help of her plant, the botanist scowered throught the many empty Max Energy cans of the mini-fridge. Perhaps if she drank one or two, she could get some actual sleep...

Nope, none of them had any energizer left. Great.

Groaning, Rosa standed up and began to circle around the fridge. What else could she use, apart from... That. The Light drinks were an option, but those were extremely expensive compared to the miserable amount of the time their effect lasted.

She could just go and buy more Max Energy, but the mere thought of having to drive all the way to Retropolis just to get them made her head spin.

She commenced to walk faster. What else, what else? Wasn't Byron selling some "Lift up" potions? No, no way she was touching anything that came from that man. Maybe she could make use of the plants she had? No, she didn't have time. Plus, she had to give most of the usefull ones to Byron next week. And then attend that meeting with him to discuss what to do when they run out, right after her training session, and she hed promissed Primo to invite him, but it clashed with her meeting with-

Fuck

She slumped down the counter. There was no way around it, was it? She had to. She had to give in once again. Well, at least she had an excuse if Bea found out.

With the last dropplets of energy she had, Rosa reached for the drawers, and took out a bag of pure black coffee. "No sugar, no milk, no flavorings, just pure coffe!" as the packaging claimed. Sounded (And smelled) like it could rise a dead body, which was just what Rosa needed.

As she started to boil up the water, Vinny seemed to realize what Rosa was planning, judging by her worried face. She wrapped her vines around Rosa's arm, squeezing it just a tad bit harder, as a last attempt to brive her.

"Sorry bud, but it's a must if I wanna catch up" muttered Rosa, with a smile that attemped to be comforting, but just made her look even more restless.

With what sounded like a sigh, the pink plant let go of her arm, just as the ketter started to whistle. Lethargiclly, Rosa poured herself a brimming hot cup, and driving one last defeated look to Vinny, she gulped it down.

As soon as the liquid touched her lips, the brawler felt her body slowly warming up, getting a satusfying chill before her eyes finally opened fully

Had they always been half closed? Well, it didn't matter now. Not to Rosa at least, who streched her arms to finally wake her body up, at the same time she directed herself back to her desk.

It was going to be a long night for sure.

#brawl stars #rp - 📔 #OHHHH ROSA #IT SURE IS GONNA BE A LONG NIGHT #brawl stars rp #Rosa #Event starter- 🍂 #Crime 'n' caffeine

[printscript]

Hermitcraft Shorts pt. 2

Pairing: None Words: 1826 Rating: G AU: None Warning: None Summary: Something happened to Grian, but his friends are always looking out for him. A/N: For added effect, listen to Clair de lune while you read this ;)

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23584024/chapters/57698524

–

This was it.

Grian took a shaky breath. His lungs heaved as his body tried to cough but couldn’t. He could feel the dull throbbing in his chest slow to an ache. He was drowning in his thoughts, his eyes searching, but his eyelids refusing to open all the way. He could see shapes and colors but nothing tangible. He thought he could hear a voice; he felt hands on his arms. He could barely feel them. His body was numb with pain. A clicking sound? Another set of hands on his body. It was hard to keep his eyes open when he couldn’t see much. There was a splash of green, then red in his vision. He could feel the touch of fingers moving his hair off of his forehead, so delicately but so distinctly. The sliding of something off his shoulders. His elytra. Don’t take those away, those were his wings. He needed those. If he couldn’t fly then what would he be worth- ? Pressure on his cheeks. Hands again. The same delicate touch. Who was here with him? He didn’t know; he felt like he was floating except for those hands on his face. Grian’s ears rang until they didn’t, more voices coming slowly into perspective. Someone was talking. Two people were talking, but it didn’t sound like anything Grian could understand. His body hurt. He felt it all of a sudden and could hear himself groan in his head. It echoed in his skull. The voices again. The hands on his face tensed and let go. Don’t let go.

“Oh gods, Grian-”

He could hear, and touch returned to his senses. There was grass under him. Not as soft as the fingers moving his hair behind his ears again, but the pressure of the ground against his back was comforting. Pain surged intermittently through his torso, making him choke on the little air he was managing to breathe. He tried to open his eyes again and had the overwhelming urge to rub them. The lights hurt. It was shining white gently against a form above him. There were people there. Their features began to come into focus.

“Grian, oh my goodness, are you awake?”

It sounded like Iskall. Grian hoped it was Iskall. He would know what to do. He tried to smile, tried to say something but only began to cough, each one racking his body and making more pain shoot up his sides. He winced.

“He’s conscious, at least, Mumbo go get the potion, quick-”

The gentle fingers Grian felt against his forehead and cheeks receded. Mumbo was here? What had happened to Grian? His mind was beginning to start back up again, questions flooding in and pain too, though his body kept him numb enough to not feel it in full force.

“Yes, Mumbo will be right back,” Iskall said. What was he talking about? Had Grian said something aloud? He couldn’t remember.

“Grian, come on, dude, I need you to look at me.”

He was trying. It was hard to open his eyes. He tried a second time, aware of the pain in his body again. He could see a lot clearer now. Iskall was above him, single eye looking concerned, robot eye looking green and… robot-y. Above Iskall was the sky. Ah, he wished he were flying, and if he weren’t in so much pain, it kind of felt as if he were flying. He felt the ground under him, but his senses still wavered, dangerously, he might add. The only thing keeping him grounded was Iskall’s hands firmly on his shoulder and arm. Iskall was looking off to the side, distracted, no, focused on something. He said something, but Grian didn’t hear anything. His heartbeat thudded in his ears.

He was about to close his eyes again, his body feeling heavy when he heard someone settling in the grass. A hand graced his jaw, sliding over his ear to hold his head from behind his neck. Grian forced his eyes open. He could see pink and purple, something shiny. Cold glass touched his lips. The hand behind his head lifted slightly. He could see a face. Liquid spilled out of his mouth and down his cheek to his neck. He tried to swallow. His body did it for him.

“Please, Grian…”

It wasn’t Iskall’s voice. He could see Mumbo’s mouth moving in front of him. The hand on his neck was shaky and a little unsure. The glass on his mouth tapped accidentally against his teeth. He drank. The shaking subsided a bit. Mumbo looked at Grian, face twisted into worry. Something in his eyes pleading with something, with the universe.

Grian tried to look a little more intently at Mumbo, to tell his friend that it was alright, whatever it was. He tried to smile. It must have come out pained because Mumbo’s brow furrowed. He looked over at Iskall. Grian didn’t stop looking at Mumbo. His eyes felt heavy, but the pain in his body faded a bit. Achiness began to overtake him. He didn’t want to close his eyes again.

The faces of his friends looked tired.

“It’s alright, Grian, you’ll be okay.”

Iskall nodded assuredly as he spoke, and Mumbo seemed to desperately look for more confirmation in the redstoner’s face. Iskall nodded again. Grian didn’t remember anything else.

-----

Grian woke to a wool blanket and a feather pillow. His body ached but his mind was much clearer now, at least. He opened his eyes, feeling more energized than he thought he would, and he searched his mind for any kind of memory of what had happened to him, disappointed to find none, but unsurprised. He had been really out. Pain shot through his body when he tried to shift from his side onto his back, and he groaned, hearing not only the sound of the sheets under him moving but also someone from off to his left.

“Grian, hey…” A hand settled on his shoulder, and Grian saw Mumbo above him as he tried to turn. “Are you alright? Don’t push yourself.”

Concern graced Mumbo’s words and it felt familiar to Grian. The worried, awkward, funny way that was just so Mumbo made him happy. He felt his heart swell in admiration.

“I’m alright, I think… what happened to me?” Grian’s head hurt and speaking felt strange. He tried to sit up and Mumbo guided him with his hands, letting Grian grab his arm for support. “Where are my elytra?”

He took a quick glance around the room. He was surrounded by warm, jagged oak wood walls, with shelves nailed by hand on to the rough bark. The shelves were chock full of varied bottles of honey and glowing potions, some haphazardly knocked over and spilling honey and night vision into messy pools on the spruce flooring. The room was a comfortable size and furnished sparsely, with a few chairs near the bed Grain was sitting in, a few bookshelves, and a table in the middle of the room, completely bare. In the distance, there was a step up into a wide patch of grass and openings into other rooms. He couldn’t see much farther; his elytra were nowhere to be found.

Mumbo waited until Grian let go of him before pulling a chair up next to the bed and settling in it.

“You crashed… bad. Iskall saw you freefalling while we were working on a project, and we expected you to pull out of it like you usually do, you know? Expert flyer and all.” Mumbo chuckled nervously, gesturing playfully but sounding terribly guilty. “But you didn’t- and you fell behind the treeline and we didn’t see you come back up.”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, crossing his arms and failing to hide the ever-present concern in his voice as he continued.

“We rushed over to where we saw you fall, and we found you just, a crumpled mess on the jungle floor. You were completely out, and we almost thought you had died. Grian- I-... I’m so glad- we’re so glad you’re alright.”

Mumbo was tripping over his words now, his hands gripping his knees, and Grian bit his tongue against the pain as he leaned forward to wrap his arms around his friend. Mumbo settled into the hug after a few moments, sighing heavily with relief, his face resting comfortably in the crook of Grian’s neck.

“Your elyra are completely torn up. The trees and bushes are probably what damaged them.” Mumbo said, sounding guilty once again like it was his fault somehow that Grian had fallen and broken his wings. “We found you and brought you here to Iskall’s place. I just hope you're feeling better.”

“I can get new elytra, it’s okay,” Grian muttered. He let go of Mumbo’s shoulders slowly, wincing slightly in pain still. Mumbo voiced concern and Grian laughed, telling him it was okay.

He crashed sometimes. Well, he crashed his elytra a lot more than he’d like to admit, but despite that, Grian was still one of the best flyers in the group. He wished he could remember what had happened, but all he could recall was the freeing feeling of flying and falling, and at some point, he must have just not caught himself. What an idiot.

Iskall entered the room then, looking relieved that Grian was up and holding what looked like another potion for him.

“Iskall.” Grian addressed, turning to include him in the circle as Iskall pulled up the other chair.

“That was an omega fall, man.” Iskall grinned, his smile melting any apprehension or worry from everyone in the room. “Here’s another health potion for you. The first one should have helped anything major.”

“It did.” Grian smiled. “Still a bit achy, but I don’t feel too much of it.” He took the bottle from Iskall and began to work on drinking it, the slightly bitter taste making it difficult, but the sweet aftertaste making it worth it. He could feel the effects almost immediately, his body feeling a little less heavy and his pain subsiding a bit more.

“What in the world happened anyway?” Mumbo asked, leaning back in his chair to let Iskall reach over for the empty bottle when Grian finished. “You scrape yourself up sometimes, but not like this.”

“I’m not sure,” Grian said, trying to think of what had happened before he crashed, but not being able to find anything. “I might have just gone too high or got distracted. I just remember waking up here.”

“Whatever it was, it’s a good thing you’re alive. Mumbo would kill you if you died.”

The three of them laughed at Iskall’s joke, the atmosphere in the tree base homely and the air around them light. Grian had his family to look out for him, and it meant the world to him.

“Iskall you don’t have a spare elytra lying around, do you?”

#hermitcraft shorts #grian #mumbo jumbo #iskall85 #hermitcraftserver #hermitcraft #hermitcraft 7 #hermitcraft grian #hermitcraft mumbo #hermitcraft iskall #minecraft #minecraft youtubers #mcyt

[whoelsereadslightnovels]

IN A DIFFERENT WORLD, BUT WITH FRIENDS.

CHAPTER 1: IN A CERTAIN FOREST

 Inside a certain forest, two figures with strange clothings that looked like (Basic) outfits worn by characters in RPG games could be seen hiding behind a bush.

 “Hey Yimso, are you sure this is a good idea?” The one wearing a mage robe whispered to the one wearing chainmail armour. “Huh? Oh, of course I’m sure.” Yimso gave a wide grin as he drew out his sword. “We just need to wait for ‘it’ to let its guard down for a single moment.”

 “Aight then…. .” The mage gave a sigh and said while still feeling nervous and turned his gaze away. The one besides him was a tank so he could take quite a lot of punishment but he was a mage; a class that was known to be weak in close combat. They much were better suited studying and researching magic behind closed doors or giving support from behind so his nervousness was justified. Of course, there were exceptions, but they could never compare to other classes when it came to endurance. Especially the one beside him; he was a tank.

 “….” After comforting the mage, Yimso turned away and looked over the bush where around 20 meters away, a 3 meter long and 1.6 meter tall black wolf was eating a brown rabbit.

 The rabbit being eaten by the wolf was not really any different that one you normally see on earth, except that this one was around 60 centimetres tall and had an over 20 centimeter long horn on its head. The horn must be the rabbit’s weapon, and a pretty good one at that at it seems to have put up a fight against the wolf, seeing that a small red puddle of blood had formed, trickling down from a wound on the wolf’s belly.

 There were also carcasses of other horned rabbits close by. They were probably hunted by the wolf too.

 After a while, the wolf had had its fill and seemed to have fallen asleep.

 Whoosh

 Right then, an arrow flew out from a tree top and hit the wolf. The arrow couldn’t penetrate the wolf’s hide though; falling to the ground after it hit its body. Fortunately the arrow was never meant to penetrate through the wolf’s hide but carry a vial which broke after hitting the wolf.

 The foul smelling liquid contained in the vial instantly drenched a part of the wolf’s face, startling it awake.

 “Tito, now!” Yimso roared as he rushed towards the wolf with a shield a sword in each hand from behind the bush. Right then, the man in the red robe pushed his opened hand forward and a ball of fire the size of a human head shot towards the wolf’s head.

 “ROAR”

 The wolf roared in anger towards the bush they were hiding in. Unfortunately for the wolf, the fireball had shot right into the open maws of the beast and set the wolf’s head on fire. Moreover, the flames, upon coming in contact with the foul smelling liquid had created a small explosion and caused the flames to burn even more brilliantly.

 “ROAR” The wolf bellowed in pain and anger.

Just then, Yimso, who had reached the wolf narrowly dodged a blind claw strike from the wolf and bashed its head with the shield and quickly moved backed after giving it a kick in the face.

 Slash

 Right after, a lean man wearing light leather armour and wielding two short swords rushed out from behind him and towards the wolf. He also had a short bow on his back, likely to be the one that shot the arrow earlier. He had made his way towards the wolf and slashed it with his swords, leaving 2 long gashes on the side of the wolf after which he quickly jumped into the bushes.

 The wolf cried out again and wanted to attack the creature that had wounded him. But taking advantage of the moment the wolf looked away, Yimso brought his broadsword down on the wolf’s neck.

 BAM

 The sword hit the wolf’s neck, making it kneel and tearing the skin but failed to cut through the firm neck muscles. The wolf quickly recovered and sent a paw towards Yimso.

 He hurriedly lifted his shield to block. The attack hit the shield, making his arms go numb and pushing him back by almost 3 meters before he could get back his footing. Suddenly, his body was washed over by a wave of green and light while the wolf’s was covered by a grey one, greatly relieving the numbness in Yimso’s arms, while the wolf felt it’s body grown heavier in an instant.

 These were the spells [Heal] and [Slow] casted by the mage Titus just now. He was hiding behind a bush with the lean looking guy who was preparing to shoot another arrow.

 Yimso, sheeting his sword, held the shield with both hands and charged straight at the wolf. The wolf who had its left eye blinded by the fire glared at him while squinting its remaining eye and pounced forward with its maw, filled with knife like teeth wide open.

 Yimso put the shield over his head and dived to the right, before colliding with the wolf. Just then, a fireball and an arrow with a vial of the liquid from before entered the maw of the wolf that could fit a child inside it causing an explosion even louder than before to occur.

 BOOM

 The wolf collapsed on the ground, twitching and continuously puking out black coloured blood. The blood from the wounds made by the short swords on its side also turned from red to black. Clearly, it had been poisoned and was quckly nearing its end.

 “Whew” Breathing out a sigh of relief, Yimso dropped his shield and collapsed on the forest floor and said “Hey, Tito, Puvi! How long are you going to be watching from over there, come over and let’s finish up here!” He then turned to look in the wolf’s direction and a floating blue box appeared in front of him.

  Species: Black Wolf

Type: Wolf, Beast

Level: 8

Rank: Elite

HP: 100/2550

MP: 200/200

Status: Poisoned, Fatigued, Heavily wounded

Description: A species of wolf. Its stats are focused towards agility, making it fast but sacrificing defensive capabilities. As a beast type, this creature is also vulnerable to fire.

 Rustle, Rustle

 After the rustle of leaves, the 1.65 meter tall mage and the 1.8 meter tall assassin walked out. “Hey, how is it going for you down there?”  ‘Puvi’ joked. “Any chance you’ll be going into the light soon? Hahaha!”

 “Yeah right, and who’s going to take aggro if I go?” Yimso sneered. “As if i could die sooner than you do.” He joked as he was pulled up by Puvi. “Now let’s hurry before more monsters appear.”

 Although they had not gone too far in, this was still the jungle, and there were predators that could catch the whiff of blood from miles away. So they had to either wipe out the scent of blood or leave the scene after they are done. They had already learned their lesson before when they had camped out in the forest and had slaughtered a deer next to the camp without burying the entrails, leaving it in the open which caused the camp to be surrounded by wild animals pretty quickly. 

Luckily, they hadn’t attracted a big animal and only smaller ones had appeared. They had quickly packed up and escaped before the bigger predators had appeared; like this wolf that they just killed.

 “Here you go.” Titus handed Yimso a vial made of transparent glass containing light green liquid and drank one himself. The only difference was that his was blue in colour. “And I told you not to call me that. Call me Titus, I said” He spat.

 “Thanks, ‘Tito’.” He looked at him with smiling eyes at him as he took the vial. Of course, Yimso wouldn’t reject the vial that was being given to him. He knew that it was an item, a [Health Potion] to be exact, that they had found was obtainable in this strange world they had found themselves in one day. 

The inhabitants of this world seems to have been born with a game like floating interface that they could use to check out their ‘status’ or sometimes others’ too. And the three of them had discovered that they had it too. Yes, similar to the ‘system’ described in novels back on earth.

 The ‘system’ had appraised them as below.

 Lowest grade Health Potion

-Heals most light wounds and restores 300 Hp instantly.

-Use: You drink it. What did you expect?

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

Lowest grade Mana Potion

-Restores 200 mana upon use.

-Use: You drink it. 😊

 “Yuck! I really wonder what in the world do they put in these things? They taste disgusting.” Yimso thought out loud while making an exaggerated ‘disgusted’ expression to which Titus just answered with a shrug.

 “System, show me my status.” Instantly upon saying those words, a blue box with numerous texts appeared in front of him.

NAME: YIMSO

LEVEL: 8

HP: 620 /700

MP: 160/250

#Note: Recovery rate increases when not in battle

RACE: HUMAN

BLOODLINES: [NONE]

MAIN CLASS: [WARRIOR]

JOB: TANK

SUB-CLASS: [NONE]

TITLES:

[BEGINNER TANK]

Effects:

HP= (V)*100

MP= (I)*50

[STATS]

STRENGHT: 9

AGILITY: 5

DEXTERITY: 5

VITALITY: 7

INTELLIGENCE: 5

 [SKILLS]

[PASSIVE]:

-NONE

 [ACTIVE]:

-1. (1) [SHIELD BASH] (1): Attacks the opponent with the shield, doing extra damage with chance to stun the opponent.

Effects:

Extra damage depending on strength stat

30% chance to stun opponent

MP COST: NONE

-2. (1) [VERTICAL SLASH] (2): Cuts down vertically with the sword.

Effects:

Extra damage depending on strength stat

MP COST: NONE

-3. (1) [BATTLE CRY] (1): Gives out a loud bellow and casts a buff on the user.

Effects:

+20% Strength

+10% Agility

+20% Damage reduction

MP COST: 100

 “Well, my wounds are healing at least.” Yimso mind shrugged as he looked at his previously wounded shoulder. He had been grazed by the wolf when he had dived to dodge the explosion.

 Over to the wolf’s side, Puvi had stabbed his sword into the wolf’s chest, ending its life, then collected its knife like teeth and claws and dug out a crystal orb the size of a fist from its chest, then put them in a pouch. “Hey Tits, catch!” He yelled as he threw the bag at Titus.

 “Sigh, I feel like I’m being bullied.” Catching the orb and putting it into a backpack, Titus couldn’t help but sigh and grumble as he thought about how his friends keep giving him nicknames.

 After resting for a few minutes, they discussed for a while before deciding to take back the entire wolf carcass back. And so, they departed, with Titus carrying a backpack half his size and Yimso carrying an almost 3 meter long wolf carcass on his back.

 “I’ll scout ahead!” With that, Puvi dashed ahead and started jumping from one tree to tree, soon disappearing.

2 hour later

 “Huaah~, thank goodness we are finally out of that damned forest” Yimso sighed as he could finally see their destination; a village surrounded by 5 meter high walls made of wood.

 “Gasp, pant” “Finally. W-we are finally…. o-out of… that forest.” Turning around, Yimso was greeted by the sight of Titus gasping for breath while carrying a backpack that had become almost as big as him after collecting items from beasts they encountered on the way and several plants and herbs in the forest. As for Puvi, he was carrying a small boar he had caught on the way; this was going to be their meal for tonight.

 Puvi looked towards the town surrounded by walls and sighed. “Come on guys we’re almost there.” After stopping for a moment to catch their breath, they started moving again.

 End of chapter 1: In a certain forest

*Note: The numbers inside the brackets on either sides of the name of the spell refer to the tier and level of the spell, respectively. Thank you for reading. Arigato!

#fantasy #fiction #novel #light novel #multiple protagonist #game elements #original work #amatureartist #fantasy world #adventure #in another world but with friends

[chaplainamerica316us]

                    The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever

                                              By 193

 There once lived a man who was so fearful of dying that he set out on a quest to find the fountain of youth. The man searched around the world for many years then when he was in his 60s he gave up and went beck home. Soon after he received a letter in the mail from an old Tibetan Monk inviting him to come; for the thing he had been searching for all those years has been found.

The man got on a plane and flew to Tibet and then he had to travel deep into the jungle, finally after five days he found himself standing at the base of a very tall mountain and so he and his guides began to climb to the top to see the Monk. When they finally reached the top the Monk was there to greet them with a big smile on his face. The Monk invited the man to came and see what he had found.

The Monk offered the man a potion that he said would make him live at least another 200 years. The man was very grateful and offered to pay the Monk a great deal of money for this potion, but the Monk refused to accept any money and said that it was a gift.

The man drank the potion and felt fine then the Monk told the man with a very stern look on his face,  

“The potion was free and now you will live many more years but without this antidote you will most certainly die. You will stay here with me and be my slave and once a year I will give you the antidote so you won’t die.”

Sometimes when things look too good to be true they usually are.

BEWARE for the devil is in the cure.

[lowkeyaesthvtic]

Evil Karma - Chapter 14

Chapter 1 - Chapter 13

Word Count: 4,007

Summary: Now that the group has everything they need for the magic elixir, how will they react to giving the Isle of the Lost a little taste of magic?

Pairings: Harry x OC, Uma x OC, Harry x Uma x OC, platonic!Gil x OC, a little bit of platonic!Gil x Harry, past!OC x OC in a flashback scene

Rating: T

Warnings: Mild profanity, descriptive threats of murder, a flashback scene that kind of shines a light on how much of a dick Sofi’s dad was and how much she deserved better, also a little bit of sexual tension at the beginning but honestly not much

Tags: I honestly feel like people have stopped paying attention to this fic so I’m gonna stop with the tags for now but I’ll start them again if enough people ask.

Author’s Note: I am really sorry about the long pause, it’s been kind of hard writing for this fandom when the content for it has started to dwindle. I’m going to try my best to keep the Descendants fandom alive since I really love it but considering it’s been almost a year since the last movie came out, it’s going to be hard.

“How do we know the Doctor’s not going to flake out on us? He’s done it before.” Harry asked as he shifted into the sofa. The four of us, now permanently deciding to include Gil on our plan, had gone back to the room where the plan first became set in stone. I had sent out a sort of distress call to the Doctor himself telling him that the hairs were ready to be mixed into the elixir, which was incredibly hard without any magic, but somewhat possible nonetheless. I looked over to Harry and leaned my head on his shoulder as a small, bored yawn escaped my lips. 

“He won’t flake on me. Dr Facilier has worked with my family before. He’s well aware of how powerful my father was; and, if I am anything like my father, he’ll know I’m not a force to mess with either. Unfortunately, my father and I have more in common than I’d like to admit.” I ran a thin finger through his black, matted locks as the four of us sat and waited not so patiently for the doctor to arrive. Noticing my physical affection towards Harry, Uma moved closer next to me and leaned in to whisper to me.

“You know, you’ve been latching onto Harry a lot today, you two didn’t play without me, did you?” Due to our vicinity, both Harry and I heard her words. A small shiver ran up my spine as her voice sent warm air across my skin. 

“Of course not, Captain. If a game is what you want, though, I’m sure the two of us would be happy to oblige.” Harry smirked, interjecting the tension between Uma and I. The two looked as if their lips were about to lock when they were both blocked by a lock of blonde hair. 

“Not to interrupt, guys, but I hear footsteps.” He was definitely interrupting. But, it was for good reason. Harry, Uma and I moved slightly farther apart as Harry quickly grabbed his hook and I readied my hand on my dagger, prepared in case it was some unwanted visitor walking through the door. 

“Will you put your hook down, pirate boy? It’s just me. Sorry if I’m late, but I had a bit of a run in with one of Cruella’s goons.” My eyes quickly widened as I stood and ran towards him like a wild, hungry tiger.

“What the fuck, Doc! What did you tell them? You didn’t see Cruella, did you?” Before I could get close enough for the Doctor to feel the steam from my ears, Uma and Harry interjected the space between. Harry put an arm out to block Facilier from defending himself as Uma moved closer to me in an attempt to calm my anger.

“Relax, babygirl,” Uma calmly spoke, using the pet name that seemed to work on me like a magic spell every time. Yet it only worked when it slipped from her lips. “Cruella’s been indisposed since she saw Maleficent get turned into a lizard at Ben’s coronation. Jafar’s been hiding from the embarrassment of his son becoming a good kid and the Evil Queen...Well I don’t know what’s happened with her. Rumor has it she changed her name to Regina and drank a potion transporting her to some different dimension where Auradon doesn’t even exist. Wherever she is, she’s not here. None of them care about themselves anymore to worry about some little trinkets getting stolen.” With a deep inhale, I took a step back and watched as Uma turned toward the Doctor. She somehow seemed so confident, so professional, no matter the circumstances. I very rarely let somebody else dominate me both in and out of sensual situations. But with Uma, it was like disobeying her meant taking away every ounce of oxygen in my body. I needed her like a fish needs water. “I’m sure they were taken care of? Tell me, Doc, how’d you do it? Choke them until their faces turned blue? Slashed them across their necks and watched as their blood spewed like a fountain? Then again, I guess that would’ve messed up your clothes.”

“I left them unharmed.” Facilier replied after a slight hesitation. This must have been his first time meeting Uma. Otherwise he would’ve been prepared for her high-handed attitude and body language. “Getting my hands dirty would have perked some ears around the Isle. I assume you want this plan to remain secret until the time is right?” Uma nodded her head and turned around, leading the two of us back to the sofa we sat on before. She fixed her eyes on the black, still cauldron in front of us. 

“You’d assume correctly. Now, do you have the ingredients or not?” Facilier stood still, looking through his large, black satchel for what we were hoping were the ingredients. Uma, however, was not going to accept silence as an answer. “Now, Doctor. We mustn't lurk in doorways...it’s rude.” She chuckled as she watched Facilier hesitantly walk into the room and towards the cauldron. Then, like a child tentatively unwrapping a present, he started to take the ingredients out of his satchel and placed them on a nearby rickety desk. 

“I know you said enough for two gulps. But, I figured it’d be best to take everything instead of leaving some behind and risk getting caught. Should be enough for five elixirs. One for each of you kids...and an extra in case things go sideways.” It was laid out like a buffet. Eight dog bones, a large bowl of dust from Jafar’s stolen lamp,  and five apples with exactly one bite taken out of each. “How many hairs did you get?”

“Ten. The recipe called for five but...I may have gotten carried away. There’s something succulent about hearing his pain, especially since he deserves every single bit of it.” I stated, keeping my voice and face as blank as possible. Despite the Doctor knowing what Ben had done to the boys on Neverland, I refused to let him see me emotional or otherwise affected by it. 

“Showing any kind of emotion, especially towards men, is weakness. The second a boy or man sees a tear fall down that wretched face of yours, they’ll know what I’ve known since the day you were born. You could never be a leader.” I heard my own father’s voice echo in my head. I couldn’t help but feel my surroundings grow fuzzy and mute as I only heard his voice. “If you can’t stand up to a measly wolf cub, how could you ever lead these boys in the case of battle?” His one remark to me when I came to him with bite marks and gruesome scratches. He’d sent me into the jungle to hunt for dinner. While walking back to camp with some fox meat, a couple of baby wolves had attacked me and stolen the meat. I came to my father looking for comfort, or at least some kind of potion that would heal the wounds. The only thing I was given was ridicule and mockery. In a way, he was right. The entire island was ransacked, murdered, ruthlessly slaughtered. I couldn’t save them. I can’t bring them back either. Maybe this wasn’t Ben’s fault, or even Mal’s. Maybe it was mine.

“Hey, kid. You still with us?” A dark hand waving in front of my face brought me back to reality. Uma, Harry and Gil had all sat on the sofa while I still stood, my eyes locked on the table of ingredients. “You having second thoughts?” I looked back up at him and quickly shook my head. Was I lying? A little. If I couldn’t help my boys back then, how am I going to help them now? They’re already gone, and there’s no magic in this entire realm that could bring them back. But, this far into the plan, I’m starting to realize that this plan isn’t just for me anymore. It may have started that way. I may have befriended Uma and Harry for the sake of numbers and people that share a common enemy. But, I know now that these people can have some serious potential if they had enough power. This elixir and the succession of this plan could give them that potential. “Alright then, let’s get this started! This elixir ain’t gonna make itself!”

One by one the ingredients slipped into the cauldron. The boiling water shifted colors as each bone was dunked, as each fingerful of dust was sprinkled in, as each apple slice was slowly dropped in. By the time nearly all the ingredients were mixed together, the bubbling water had changed from clear to a murky, dirty dark brown. Harry looked up in confusion, nearly disgusted by the color despite being surrounded by it. “Isn’t the elixir supposed to be gold? Or green? Or...something not so disgusting?” 

“It’s because we haven’t put in the key ingredient.” Uma replied, everybody’s eyes shifting towards me. I took the vial out of my pocket and watched as the hairs glimmered gold.

“Wow, and people say Rapunzel has magic hair.” Gil chuckled, amazed by the sparkling shimmer inside the glass vial. As I go to open the vial, Gil interjects with his voice once more. “Wait, um...Doctor F?”

“Facilier, it’s Doctor Facilier.”

“You said there’d be enough of this potion thing for the four of us to drink it but..Harry and I don’t have magic. What’s going to happen to us?” Everyone paused where they stood. For once, Gil had actually made a good point. This was only my third time making this elixir, the past two times making them for some sick fairies who needed the extra push to fly again. I had never tested them on people not Neverland native, much less a person not born with or capable of magic. 

“Well, if you really think about it...magic is basically taking your strongest traits and making them unstoppable. Even without my abilities, I’ve always had a good read on people, making it easy to manipulate their opinions and emotions. Uma’s never been able to use her mother’s magic, but she still feels better when she’s close to water. Don’t you, Captain?” Uma shrugged and nodded her head. “So, maybe you’ll be strong enough to lift the whole ship with just one arm. Imagine how cool that’d be.” Gil gasped and smiled, surely encaptured in that concept. I looked to the cork on the vial, then back at everyone else. “So, shall we?” Everyone nodded eagerly and I could hear a small cackle of excitement from Harry as I opened the cork and dropped the royal hairs in one by one. By the time all ten hairs were mixed in, the potion had turned a glimmery, sparkling gold just as we thought it would. Uma grabbed a ladle she had snatched from the Chip Shoppe’s kitchen and scooped enough to fill the glass vial to the top. 

“So, who’s drinking first?” There was a small silence in the room. Whether it was from fear or from not wanting to sound too selfish, nobody vocally volunteered themselves to take the first sip of the elixir.

“You should, Uma. You are the Captain, after all.” Harry mumbled, a hint of his sincere admiration and affection peeking through a small smile. Uma looked to me, as if wanting my consent to be the first to indulge in this magic elixir.

“Go on, Captain. Don’t worry, if it tastes anything like the Neverland elixir, it should be easy to swallow.” I slowly took the empty ladle from her hand and placed it on the empty desk that once held the elixir’s ingredients. I held onto her empty hand with both of mine and let my fingers caress over her skin. After a deep inhalation, Uma chugged down the sparkling potion and swallowed it whole. A few seconds of silence and slight fear went by before Uma took in a quick gasp, gripping tighter onto my hand to keep herself balanced. I could see her eyes flash a bright, ocean blue for just a moment before returning to their near charcoal shade. Harry and Gil immediately stood up from the sofa and rushed to her side, ready to lift her up if she were to feel faint.

“Uma? Are you okay? What happened?” Harry asked, leaning in to make sure the look on her face wasn’t too pale or otherwise sickly. A second of silence scared everyone else in the room, but after she started to let out her infamously wicked and alluring snicker, we knew she was okay.

“I’ve never felt more exhilarated in my entire life! Nothing was happening at first and then, it felt like my entire body was this massive tidal wave crashing onto shore. And now, I feel like there’s something different going through me. Not blood or thoughts but, something more.” I smiled and helped Uma stand up fully, taking both her hands in mine.

“That’s how magic is supposed to feel. Here, I’ll pour the next one. Go ahead and sit down, you may feel a bit woozy if you stand too long.” As Gil led her down to the sofa, I took the ladle and scooped yet another vial full of the delectable potion. “Does anyone want the next one?” Again, there was silence. As I was about to take the second swig myself, I felt a strong hand take the vial out of mine. I looked up to see Gil holding the potion in his hand, eyeing it in a longing sort of way. “Go ahead, Gil. I promise we won’t let anything bad happen to you.” Gil took a quick nod, certain of our promise, and downed the potion in a single gulp. 

This time, Harry and I waited more in excitement then in fear. Gil’s reaction wasn’t as huge as Uma’s but there definitely was one. One second, Gil was standing with the empty vial in his hand. The next he jumped high and shook away a bunch of energy coursing through his body, as if he had just taken his first shot in a long night of drinking. “Holy shit, that was awesome! You really think I could lift the ship, Sofi?”

“Easy there, Gil. Save the strength for tomorrow, okay?” I laughed as he started to roughhouse a bit with Harry. The two had a relatively short round of horseplay before Gil suddenly had Harry over his shoulder. Considering the two boys’ relatively similar weight and muscle mass, we never thought that was possible. Then, we had realized that my theory had turned out to be correct. Gil’s new spout of magic had brought a whole new meaning to him being ‘the muscle’ of the group. 

“Okay, okay, okay, now I want some of this action. Pour it up, duckling!” Harry near shouted like an excited child on Christmas morning. I grabbed the ladle and poured a third portion of the elixir into the glass vial. With no hesitation, Harry took the vial and lifted it high as he poured the potion down his throat, letting the last drop linger on his tongue. He felt a rush immediately, but from what I could see, there was little to no physical change showing that he now had magic. He was potentially on a rush of adrenaline, meaning whether the elixir had given him magic or not, he definitely felt a physical rush of change. There was only one way to know for sure if the potion had worked on him.

“I guess it’s my turn.” I quietly huffed as I poured another portion of the elixir into the empty vial. A part of me was fearful of the outcome. I knew the potion would work correctly, but I had no idea the effect it would have on me. These past three months were the first time I had ever gone without using my magic. Three months of no magic after who knows how many years of near constant magic was wild enough. But taking all that magic back in at once? I was diving into the ocean without knowing whether or not I’d drown. But, if it would help my Uma take Mal down and claim the leadership she deserves, that’s a risk I’d be willing to take. I slowly tilted my head back and let the elixir slide down my tongue. The taste was oddly familiar. Tangy like a fresh orange with a hint of something herby and earthy. It tasted like home. As the elixir was wholly consumed, I laid the vial and ladle aside as I put my hands on the nearby desk for support in case of any sudden dizziness. 

What I felt next was both euphoric and catastrophic. The thoughts of others didn’t slowly slip in through my ears. They rushed inside my brain, nearly knocking me out with their speed and intensity. I could feel my eyes burning with an emerald flame, something only the kids on Neverland had seen. By the time it was all over, I was electrified with the magic I had once called my home. 

“Is she okay? She looks a little faint. Maybe I should check on her? Should I ask Uma to check on her?”

“Wow, that looked like a lot. I wonder if she felt everything I felt when I drank it. Or maybe she felt more since she’s used her magic before? Maybe Harry and I should check on her.”

“These damn crazy kids. I wouldn’t be doing all of this if those Auradon bastards didn’t kill my boy. But nobody messes with my kids. If they even lay a finger on Celia I’ll have all their heads.”

“Can you really curl your hair with your finger? I see Uma and Sofi do it all the time...maybe it’s just a girl thing.”

Their thoughts began to slow down enough for me to thoroughly listen to them. “You guys don’t need to check on me, I’m fine. I’m more than fine.” I stood up straight and wiped some dust off my shoulders before sitting next to Gil and Uma on the sofa. “Also, Gil, Uma and I don’t curl our hair with our fingers. Our hair is just naturally curly. If you wanna curl your hair so badly, I can give you a ride to Lady Tremaine’s.” Gil’s perked up, confused brow caused a small rise of laughs throughout the room. The thoughts in the room began to quiet down as I slowly gained control over my magic again, putting the minds of others in the background of my brain. As we all grew adjusted to the elixir and its effects, Facilier poured the final scoop of the elixir into the vial and corked it shut as he handed it to Uma. 

“Keep this close with you. The elixir ain’t permanent. You may need this if those Auradon bastards come at you with something strong.” As he saw Uma slip it into her jacket pocket, he walked over to me and glared at me sincerely. “I don’t know what kind of second thoughts you may be having, but you’re going through with this. If not for me, then for Mateo. He would’ve wanted you to keep going.” 

I thought back to the moment that I knew Mateo was going to be a really close friend. It was the same day I had gotten attacked by the wolf cub. I sat alone in my tent, attempting to dress my wounds with palm leaves and hold back the pained sobs when those attempts had failed. Suddenly, I heard the flap of my tent wave open. “I heard someone’s got some new battle scars..can I see them?” I kept my mouth shut and attempted to close him off, knowing that the second I said a word, tears would rush down my face. “I brought something from the med tent that may take the edge off. Do you want it?” I turned and nodded my head, still keeping quiet to keep too much ‘weakness’ from peeking through.

As Mateo dressed the wounds correctly and sprinkled on some healing pixie dust, the pain from the wounds began to subside excluding a small sting from the pixie dust. But the emotional pain, the ping in my chest from my own father telling me I could never be a leader, that’s what was hurting me the most. “Mateo...do you think I made a mistake?”

“Made a mistake? Doing what?”

“Choosing to age, to grow up. I thought it would help me become stronger, faster, smarter. But I don’t think it’s doing any of that. I couldn’t keep a wolf cub off of me!” A shred of my anger began to shine through as everything my father had said came rushing back.

“Well, to be fair, your hands were a little full with all of that fox meat. Pan probably should’ve sent someone out with you.” Mateo chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood as he always did.

“It’s not funny! I couldn’t fight off a wolf cub, my swordfighting is total shit, this new magic I’ve been developing lately is completely out of control...I can’t do anything! What if my dad is right? What if I’m just not fit to be a leader?” As Mateo dressed the last bite mark, he shifted closer to me and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in for comfort.

“Okay, your swordfighting isn’t the best. And yeah, you’ve got some new powers that you don’t really know how to control yet. But, who threw a dagger so far and so well that it pushed an apple off of Reggie’s head and into a tree?”

“...I did.”

“And who taught Felix how to use the tidal waves to tell if a storm was coming?”

“...I did.”

“And who saved a Lost Boy’s life by catching an arrow that was heading straight for them with her bare hand?” That Lost Boy was him. My dad was angry and drunk and thought killing him would be a good way to piss off Facilier and get a good bloodbath going. But something in my gut clicked fast enough to move Mateo out of the way and catch the arrow to prevent it from hitting anybody else. It could’ve killed me, but I didn’t care.

“I did.”

“So you have some things you need to improve on. That’s fine. But do you know what you’re best at, Sofi? Your strongest skill is helping the other boys. Whether you’re keeping them happy, keeping them safe, or helping them grow in the areas that they need improvement. You never back down on an opportunity to help the Lost Boys. If that’s not a sign of a good leader, I don’t know what is.” 

As my mind came back to the present day, I realized that I shouldn’t be having any sort of second thoughts about this plan. Succeeding in making Mal suffer and taking over Auradon would not only be giving the Lost Revenge crew the potential and inclusion they deserve, but it would be avenging the deaths of everyone I’ve ever cared about. It’d be another instance of me not backing down on an opportunity to help those I loved. This plan will prove that I am, in fact, a good leader. As I watched Facilier pack up his satchel and begin to leave the room, I stood and shouted towards him. “I’m going to make him proud, Doc. I promise.” At the sudden yell, Harry, Uma and Gil all stood to listen. “We were all brutally wronged by Auradon. Their system has been suppressing us, starving us, killing us for far too long! Tomorrow, we will take Auradon into our hands and give every single kid on this Isle the chance they deserve! If we have to spill some blood to do it...then let the blood spill. Rest up, everyone. Because tomorrow, we fight!”

#descendants #harry hook #harry x gil #harry hook x uma #harry hook x oc #harry hook x uma x oc #huma #uma descendants #uma daughter of ursula #descendants gil #uma x reader #huma x oc #uma x oc #uma x harry #descendants fic #fanfiction #multichapter #wip #gil legume #sea three descendants #sea three #disney descendants

[obutsuwrites]

A Little Wicked (overhaul x reader)

Summary:  “Are you denying yourself your innermost wishes? Do you not quiver for my touch?” Overhaul countered, his gruff voice shrewd. The sorcerer tried to hide his morbid pleasure. Lips curled into a lustful grin. The knot in his stomach was hot. Touch-starved fingertips excited.

warnings: non-con~!

word count: 3,460 xxx basically a self-indulgent overhaul smut fic~! oops,,

my ao3 for more shitposts

my ask box is also always open 4 requests or wateva

Notes: 

numinous (adj.) - describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted--the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired

nemophilist (n.) - a haunter of the woods; one who loves the forest and its beauty and solitude

The young adventurer navigated through the overgrown forest, screeches of owls echoed over head; sounds of nature after dark. Thick trees obscured the woman’s vision. Mother nature was finally reclaiming lost land. However, this particular forest held a secret as precious as new life. A powerful sorcerer was said to inhabit this jungle of trees and predators. She knew man-eating animals roamed this land. The woman had grown up on heroic tales of would-be heroes besting creatures of the night. Heroism. Adventure. Glory. Tales she idolized. Titans of old seemed almost god-like to her. Abilities she had prayed for every night. However, her pleas fell upon deaf ears. 

After enduring this for years, she realized she must manifest her own destiny. The allure of magicks too tempting for her quest. She knew it was wrong. No respectable explorer had stood on the back of giants. No. They started small; stories eventually amassing to celebrity. Folk tales repeated for generations. The ultimate means of being remembered, she acknowledged. Mortality no longer applied to them. They gained immortality through legends. 

The young woman sighed. The lantern was her only light source in the decrepit grove. Thick roots ran along the leaf scattered earth. She had already tripped once, her lantern almost shattering. Tonight, even the moon hid. Just like the predators. The hoot of owls were the only sound in the moonlight. She wondered if the fabled Sorcerer of the Forest even existed. The tales of him on par with legends of heroics. Was it possible the man didn’t exist? The land showed no sign of recent travel. Untamed earth. 

She stopped. The sudden thirst hit her senses. Her mouth was like the desert. Quickly, slender hands grasped the gourd that sat upon a leather belt. The woman drank deeply; water trickling down exposed flesh. After a swallow, oxygen-starved lungs greedily inhaled. Earth and pine wafted through her nostrils. 

Suddenly, a twig snapped behind her. The rhythmic pounding of her heart threatened to leap out from her bosom. Primal fear seeped into her body. Goosebumps painted into her skin. The dame paused, her hand at her side, clutching the gourd. 

Breathe, she told herself, You are brave.

“Who is t-there?” The explorer called, her tone momentarily faulting. Anxiety ridden eyes waited. Could be a rabbit, right?

A gruff voice broke their silence, “Filthy mortal. You have been searching for me, haven’t you?” The man sounded perturbed. As if her very presence was a nuisance. “Well, here I am.” Ungrateful.

The woman blinked. Surely, this wasn’t the Sorcerer of the Forest? The male sounded no older than her. Far too youthful to be such a myth. 

“I don’t t-think you’re him,” she replied, slowly turning to face the owner of the voice. 

Foreign eyes observed her, his nose crunched with disdain. The young man was adorned in black; a pulled hood and avian mask blurring his features. A pristine cloak hung around his wiry frame. Leather gloved hands fidgeted. His posture betrayed his voice, uncomfortability spread throughout his spine.

“A sorcerer. You mortals ask for such frivolous things,” the masked man replied. Despite his age, the Sorcerer of the Forest never quite understood mortals. Useless stories amused them. Inspired them. This caused a problem for him. Rarely the man would receive dim-witted guests to his side of nature. Naive mortals that didn’t understand his terms. They would agree to his services, not realizing the peril. 

A laugh escaped from the woman, a nervous habit. Clearly, this man was mortal, too. Just has a little superiority complex. It wasn’t unexpected. Such a talented display of magic was too prideful. Like a secret to be shared. 

“...okay. Wait. You know what I need?” 

The words hung in the dusk. Disgusted eyes still trained upon her, memorizing her. He looked almost pensive. A leather gloved hand rested against a clothed elbow. The masked man’s dark brows furrowed together.

“Moronic girl,” he chastised, “you desire a strength potion. It’s rather bold to assume I’d stoop to such a vile practice.” The man was a sorcerer, not a desperate apothecary.

Another laugh bubbled from her. Genuine sounds. “You’re a sorcerer. Surely, you mix potions?” 

The woman’s tone was immature. Naive wonder spread across her face. She prayed he would remove the formerly intimidating birdlike mask. It’s shape provoked a primal fear within her. As if she should run as far as her legs would carry her. Instincts screaming.

The man stepped forward, dead leaves crunched under his boots.  

He scoffed, his eyes darting from her. The mysterious man smoothed invisible hairs along auburn hair. His hair looks soft, the woman noted. Perhaps he was an Adonis underneath the beak. With the distance between them shortened, she noticed brass goggles upon gilded orbs. The same contempt within them. 

“Do you even carry a sword? Perhaps a dagger. Oh, I know. You don’t do you?” he quizzed. The man clearly taking delight in her vulnerable form. 

The maiden softly gasped and dropped her gourd to the ground. Her hands now wrung in doubt. No legend about the Sorcerer of the Forest told of his scorn. He was the un-sung hero; the powerful force that provided the hero a winner’s edge. 

She didn’t reply. Horror locked the adventurer in place. Her eyes trained on the man before her. 

He closed the gap between them, the linen of his cloak brushed against the woman’s shirt. “What you desire will cost you.”

Xx

The young explorer had followed the mysterious, angry man to his hut. The design was simple, but presistine. Not a single ingredient or amulet out of place. His shack reminded her of the shaman huts in her village. The after smell of incense a permanent fixture. 

The two discussed their deal. An insistent voice spouted a word vomit of myths. Her eyes alight with passion. The possibility within her hands now. 

“...and that’s why I need this potion, talented Sorcerer of the Forest! I don’t care about t-the consequences.” The maiden stuttered, her excitement had gotten the best of her. 

“I have told you, mortal. I am Overhaul. This fantasy of the ‘Sorcerer of the Forest’ doesn’t exist. Merely stupid childish stories,” the man corrected. His tone stern. 

Overhaul.

Instantly, the woman realized the mistake she had made. The man before her was not the great Sorcerer of the Forest, but his antithesis; Chisaki Kai. A rumored lesser demon in fables. Overhaul being his preferred title. His deals the catalyst for despair in his epics. The being a play on devil’s advocate. A strong occultist that dealt in absolutes. In his parables, the heroes would receive their most intimate desires, but at the grievous cost of their humanity. Their soul.

Her features were clouded by concentration. The temptation mulled over in her mind. Is… Is it immortal to sell my humanity for the greater good? Surely, heroism cancels out sins.

She offered her hand in a show of solidarity. “Please.”

A good handshake was the cornerstone for any business transaction. Even the resident smithy had a crushing grip. A truth the maiden had learned early, the concept of goodwill familiar to her. 

Golden eyes stared at her. His indifferent glare almost seeing through her. 

“Handshakes are informal. If you weren’t so naive, you would know.” Naive laced with venom. Ignorance was a sin to him. Cretins were beneath a messiah. 

Stand tall. Make your demand known.

The nervous woman straightened her back. Eyes meeting Overhaul.

“Sorcerer or lesser demon; I humbly request the potion. Please,” she asked, her hands clasped in prayer. Stubborn hands with steadfast faith. Illusions of adventure plagued her. The poison deep in her bones. She could taste her immortality in fiction. 

Overhaul almost pitied the woman before him. Feminine graces for deceit. The ghost of a smile stretched across his features.

“As you desire.”

Xx

The aspiring adventurer had inquired about a strength potion. A rudimentary task that would only require several days work for Overhaul. The reply caused a grin to break out upon the young woman’s face. Her face… almost cute. 

While working, Overhaul caught flashes of the maiden’s frightened expressions. A sick delight taking root into him. His psyche was a chasm of perverse thoughts. The mixture of worry and dread intoxicated him. Like an inch he couldn’t scratch. 

He felt on fire. 

Xx

She wandered aimlessly, soft footsteps echoed through the abyss of trees. This was her ritual now. Naively calling for Overhaul. The beaked man was behind on his promise. The confident woman’s belief in him wavered. A gourd still hung from her belt; a failed lesson. 

“You can be so damn loud. Do you realize that?”

The naive mortal’s expression tightened; the intimate reaction caused a flush to scatter across him. Foreign anxiety and a rush of dopamine through his body. Hot breath huffed against the hollow of his beak. The fervor burned like a wildfire. 

She averted her eyes; the earthen ground her chosen subject. Overhaul’s aura engulfed the young woman in anxiety. Instincts feral. 

The nemophilist beamed; fangs bared for prey. Sadistic glee painted into his face. Amber eyes studied her. Victim no match for an apex predator. 

“Sorry… I’m happy I found you, I think. You’re behind schedule, Overhaul, but it’s for good reason, right? Maybe you ran into a lack of ingredients?” the woman hoped, her heart unable to conjure the alternative. Panic surged through her nerves. A feeling she couldn’t ignore. Body hot with anxiety.

“Follow.”

Xx

Yet again, the young maiden found herself in the wooden cabin of the occultist. A scent of wood and flowers assaulted her nose. The smell less pleasant than before. 

Overhaul held the vial; gloved hands gingerly guarding her desire. She felt a pang in her bosom. The promise of immortality dangled before her. Breath caught in an eager throat, words cramped. 

“Please. I have money. Gold. I can pay you.” Desperation covered her tone. The zealous woman features pulled tight. Eyes glued to the vial. The key to her quest. 

The masked man laughed, placing the vial on the wooden table between them. His eyes stuck to her. Selfish eyes fixated. Overhaul’s chest hitched; the anticipation of her fear tantalizing. He felt drunk from her presence. 

“No… No money. As Overhaul we both know I’ll claim my due. For someone that prides themselves on mythos; you genuinely are stupid,” he sneered. His words overrun with acid. The man was merely prodding for her adorably fearful visage. An image that haunted him. Perhaps, he could coax the emotion out of the meek woman via insults. Overhaul knew the power he held. His veins burned with it. 

The woman nodded. Distinct horrible stories flooded her. The sparks of misery burning into her psyche. A terror she prayed to avoid. “Whatever, Overhaul. We made the deal. So drop the act. It’s embarrassing.” As soon as the words tumbled from her mouth; the ignorant mortal understood the weight of them. The nervousness in her back. 

“Take it before I change my mind.” 

An empty threat, or so she thought.

Xx

A week passed. The young explorer still felt as before. No obvious strength stockpiled within her. It took her three days to deduce that the willowy man she met had been a pretender. Merely a man fascinated with Overhaul. She was familiar with the insanity of it. The very same thing motivated her to find the Sorcerer of the Forest. A pretend man. 

Life for her was stagnant as before, too. No excitement lived in the heart of the village. Routine a sacred theme. Mundane. 

Despite this, the steadfast mortal had continued her prayer. Feverish belief burned in her chest. Perhaps faith was the secret to immortality in mythos. 

Xx

Soft knocks echoed through the woman’s door. A late night visitor. Panicky fear settled in her bones. After dusk visits only brought tragedy. Slowly, she rose from bed. Anxiety flowed through her muscles; simple movements a struggle. 

Delicate feet dragged across wooden floors. Tired eyes in a haze. She reached for the door knob, the brass cold against her. The young explorer cautiously opened the door. A sheepish plastered. One must be strong in misery. 

The exhausted mortal’s eyes dropped; Overhaul curiously before her. The man barely an inch from her. Just as before. The kindling of a blush erupted across her face. Pink, squeezable cheeks.

Overhaul’s urge to touch such a filthy creature was almost overwhelming. And yet, he restrained himself. A promise of fulfilling her desire fueled him. He ached to see her afraid again.

“What are you doing here?” She was unprepared for the gravity of her choice. No soul was worth heroics. Not even a naive mortal’s. Humanity was the last shred of chaos the woman had. Every aspect of her life routine. 

A smirk took root. “Moronic girl. I’m fulfilling your greatest desire. Follow.” 

A phantom hand guided the woman’s numb body through the village and into the forest. Overhaul only a few paces ahead. A haze developed over her; the extent of her actions a mystery. 

Xx

She had no memory of adventuring to the occultist Overhaul’s hut, yet, here she was. A dressing gown clad body sat across from gold eyes. The ghost of a smirk still lingered on his face. Her distressed frame was the source for his perverse joy. A sick knot settled into his stomach. 

“Do I give you my soul?” she inquired, a sniffle in her tone. Tears building inside her chest.The reality of her agreement attacked her. 

Overhaul stifled a chorkle. An unrealistic expectation mortals held. So side-eyed. He assumed nothing less from her. Naivety was an illness. “No, idiot. Strip.”

Her mind glazed over. Robotic limbs carried out the sorcerer’s demand. Dark magicks at work. 

“Please… stop. I don’t desire t-this.” The maiden stood before him; horror in wide eyes. She cowered. No memory of disrobing; her heart in her ears. Had he drugged her? Was the vial a love potion? 

Gently, gloved hands removed the avian mask and goggles; Overhaul’s face on display. She did not expect him to be handsome. His features carved from stone by da Vinci. The ironic nature not lost. How could a vile man be so beautiful? 

“Are you denying yourself your innermost wishes? Do you not quiver for my touch?” Overhaul countered, his gruff voice shrewd. The sorcerer tried to hide his morbid pleasure. Lips curled into a lustful grin. The knot in his stomach was hot. Touch-starved fingertips excited. 

He licked his lips. Pining yellow eyes burned into her. The man known as Overhaul drank from her vulnerability. The woman’s soft body was a treat. Only for him. 

The mortal blushed. Crimson obvious in the moonlight. “Not like t-this.” She was attracted to him, but every instinct screamed at her to flee. The man was suffocating. 

Overhaul reached out, pinching her flesh between his fingers. Tense skin responded to his touch. She shivered. 

“A brat like you doesn’t deserve to use my title, don’t you agree? Refer to me as Kai.”

The woman felt helpless beneath him. Even his thin frame towered over her. The height difference only incited Chisaki Kai. Her vulnerability was a luxury. A privilege. She shifted, a futile attempt to escape him. 

Kai suddenly grasp the woman; his hands finding purchase around her wrists. Her skin was a map of goosebumps. He pulled her to him; the heat of her body melted into him. A delicate form for him to break. He shuddered at the thought. A tapestry of bruises. Lilac suits you.

“O-Kai. Kai, please let me go. I won’t tell anyone. It hurts,” she pleaded, as purple blossomed on her wrists. The beginning of a bruise. Gloved hands ignored her cries. The filthy mortal’s request only riled up Kai. A throbbing ache formed between his thighs. An urge to bury himself inside her crawled from the back of his psyche. 

Lecherous eyes scanned her body. Kai’s body snug against the frightened woman. Clean linens. A faint bouquet of clean linens drifted to him. This must be the essence of the disrobed body before him. Simple fabric separated Kai from eden. The garments weren’t flattering, he convinced himself. That’s why a gloved hand detached from her wrist; her arm falling limp as the sorcerer examined dull cloth between disinterested fingers. Florcets of pink rested twisted into pure horror. Traces of anxiety now settled in her ribs; the woman’s throat choked shut. The lack of sound a disappointment to Kai. The inch on fire with arousal for terrified looks. 

“You don’t need this,” Kai whispered, his breath hot against the woman’s exposed skin. Unceremoniously, Kai ripped the brassiere. Fabric ripping the only sound between them. Quick, short breaths followed. The occultist felt overwhelmed. His fantasy before him. Saliva pooled; the man’s mouth flooded. 

Delicate skin winced in the biting chill. A free arm shot up in a frantic attempt to cover shame. Chisaki Kai frowned. Adonis features twisted. Fangs threatened in a snarl. “Show me.” 

She held steadfast, a lilac now settled into her wrists. The naive explorer refused to allow an erratic man the pleasure of her stripped bosom. A right reserved for lovers. Not a cruel con man. 

Gloved hands swiftly detached from her. He harshly pulled off the leather gloves and pathetically tossed them behind him. Kai was finally able to feel her. Feverish hands returned to exposed flesh. Sadistic hands roughly grabbed the numinous woman. A yelp sounded from her, his impatient touch a cause for surprise. In her nerves, she felt a spark.

Yellow eyes marveled at the beauty before him. Inspiration. 

“On your knees.” 

The mortal woman before him obeyed. Dread flowed through her body. Images of violence danced before her. Promises of Chisaki Kai’s power.

“Not such a bitch, now are we?” Kai teased, a cruel smirk upon his face. Satisfaction from her blind devotion. Warmth tightened against his pants. The compassion he held for her. A little gift for not misbehaving. Kai couldn’t spell his excitement; his chest heaved in anticipation. 

“Isn’t t-this enough? I’m begging you; please stop.” A chorus of no’s followed after as Kai pressed the dame’s face against his crotch. His throbbing need now stimulated by the friction. He moaned, the sound deep and guttural. Animalistic. 

Satisfied, Kai released her face. Feverish hands unbuttoned his pants. The furor caused slender hands to shake. “I don’t care. You desired this, wicked girl.”

The scared woman audibly gulped, terror and arousal swirled in her mind. Gentle hands found his hard cock. Length throbbed in her palm. The man’s very body craved her touch. She began to tenderly stroke him; her hand exploring veins. 

Kai growled, instinctively bucked into her. No time for shame. He could chastise the adventurer later. Her hands were heaven sent. Curiosity mingled with lust. A free hand snaked to her panties. The woman teasing herself. A whine fell from her lips. The syrupy sound encouraged Kai; the sorcerer’s sentence spilling out. 

“Suck my cock.”

She stopped pumping him, her hand poised around his head, foreskin pulled down. Innocent eyes viewed the brown haired man. A meek air engulfed the woman. Moist hands now covered the grove of rose upon her cheeks. The heat devouring her. Was she on fire?

Breathe.

Plump lips wrapped around his cock, veins pulsating. Kai’s pleasure was obvious. The flustered woman began to swirl her tongue around him; her hands caressing his manhood. He melted into her touch. The man’s bucking now at a  sweltering pace. An idea presented itself. 

He knew he had to be quick. Otherwise, she could bite him. A degloved hand shoved her head down him. The wet chasm of her mouth coupled with gagged sent Kai into ecstasy. The knot branded into his stomach, working its way to his chest. An orgasm approaching. 

“Don’t fucking stop,” the auburn man mewled. Spit spewed from the asphyxiated woman; droplets decorating his hips. She needed to breathe, he reasoned. Hands clawed at thighs in a vain attempt for air. He released her.

Hungry lungs inhaled; the aroma of wood and flower heaven sent. 

“No more…” she rasped. Voice hoarse from the man’s violent bucking. Snot leaked from her nose, eyes brimmed with tears. 

She looked so broken, Kai realized. The fire within him a roaring blaze. A dire need exploded in his chest. The man roughly grabbed the woman’s face, shoving her against him again. 

An anxiety fueled mouth played with his length. Muffled cries juxtaposed against moans. Tiny streaks of fear now displayed down her cheeks. Pink cheeks shining. 

Orgasic euphoria burst from Kai. The abrupt event caused her to gag; a sloppy spray of hot cum and saliva ran from the woman’s chin, the final droplets resting against her bosom.

#chisaki kai x reader #overhaul x reader #bnha #smut #quirkless!au

[callioope]

A couple weeks ago, I posted a recap of my last D&D session for the Tomb of Annihilation campaign that I’m in. You may recall, I ended on a bit of a cliffhanger! Well, our adventures continue...

From the Diary of Maritsa Stormwind, Level 4 Cleric Camp Vengeance, Deep in the Chultan jungle, along the Soshenstar, far upriver from Port Nyanzaru

Battle of the Undead (cont’d)

Peeking through the front gates, I could see, far across the camp, by the southwestern corner that the undead had blown through the night before: two horrible beasts ravaging among the soldiers. One, a wight riding a skeletal warhorse, the other a zombie ogre. 

Could I get there in time? My heart raced. Behind me, my Spiritual Weapon was still engaged with the last remaining skeleton on the bank of the river. I swung it at the skeleton, but missed.

I had to make a decision, and fast: my Spiritual Weapon moves much slower than me, and was already 20 feet behind me, in the wrong direction of the remaining battle. If I ran beyond the 60-foot range, it’d dissipate anyways. And I knew it only had 30 seconds left. Given my options of what I could do, was it worth it?

I decided to keep it. I moved it as far as I could, and dashed through the gates in time to see Gotem engaged in combat with the zombie ogre.

Perne and Durth dashed inside towards the northwest section of camp to assist the soldiers there, while Arannis dashed past me towards Gotem. Everything was so far away! 

In the distance, I could see Commander Breakbone utter a command¹. Feeling encouraged, I knew I could do some damage if I could fight by his side.

The battle raged around us. The wight on the warhorse used some kind of spell that looked sort of like Onks’ Eldritch Blast, but wasn’t quite the same. He hit Gotem and Whisper. Whisper threw a javelin. The ogre hit Ord (one of the soldiers at the camp) and Gotem with his club. 

This was my chance, I knew. I quickly glanced around the battlefield. Several of my compatriots looked like they could use some healing, but -- as I “dragged” my Spiritual Weapon a little closer -- I only had healing options that would take too long to administer.

And to be honest, I wanted a piece of that ogre.

Still a good distance away, I’d need a range attack to be effective. I muttered a quick prayer to Ilmater under my breath. I’ve had trouble staying on target with this spell. But this zombie ogre was huge, and that wight looked dangerous. We needed to do a lot of damage. 

I cast Guiding Bolt.

I held my breath as light streaked towards the ogre. A solid hit! In the dim light glittering around the ogre, I could see it wince in pain. And the ogre turned to face me.

Again the battle ranged around us. I lost sight of Durth and Perne. Onks cast Vicios Mockery on the ogre. Commander Breakbone slashed at it with his great sword -- and then a peculiar thing happened. He fell to his knees, clutching his head. It was only for a moment, and then he was up again.

Before I could understand what was happening, the wight raised some thing over his head and cast a spell across the camp². Whatever it was, I shook it off.

My attention then fell on Whisper, battling the Ogre. The ogre turned towards me, but had to walk past several us -- I can’t even remember who -- who all took the opportunity to attack him. It swung at me, but missed. 

Then, Gotem fell.

Oh, there’s no excuse for the dilemma this caused. I don’t know why we never noticed his vampiric nature until he drank from that strange grog Whisper shared with us. But at any rate, it’s been long enough, since then, that we ought to have come to a good strategy for healing him. Most of my spells would have no effect on Undead. 

But there was one thing I could do, and given the state of my peers, it was overdue.

I cast Aid on Gotem, Ord, and Whisper. Gotem rose up, a little shaky but stable. 

Arannis struck the ogre with his daggers, and finally it seems we are making a difference against this monster. I could hear sounds of battle at the north end of camp, and in the distance could just make out Durth’s form as a bear. No sight of Perne. Ord shot at the ogre, Onks used Toll the Dead, and Breakbone slashed at the wight.

And then it happened again. Breakbone fell to the ground, clutching his head, but this time, he did not rise, and began to spasm on the ground. He was too far for me to reach, way too far. That feeling I had, that encouragement that I could do a little extra damage, vanished as I saw the commander fall, and fear took its place.

The wight moved towards Gotem, and I feared this battle was about to take a turn for the worst. The creature jumped off his horse, hand glowing and raised above his head. He grabbed Gotem’s neck and shook him, and Gotem began to spasm. And yes -- Gotem fell to the ground once more. 

Before I could do anything, that dread skeletal warhorse trotted towards me, kicking like mad, but it didn’t hit me. 

I couldn’t reach Gotem, but I knew I had to get these monsters away if we had any chance of saving him. And he was unconscious, so he wouldn’t hear or see what I was about to do: play the card I’d been holding all along. 

I raised my shield, the emblem of my Holy Symbol pointed towards these foul creatures, and prayed.³

I could see it take effect on the skeletal warhorse and the ogre, but the wight and a nearby skeleton seemed unperturbed. Still, two of the close creatures threatening Gotem would be gone.

I moved that darn Spiritual Weapon a little closer, feeling tethered to this object and wondering if I’d really made the right decision, spending so much time moving it along.

Just then, my heart lifted as I saw Perne run around the corner of the commander’s tent and swing her long sword at that forsaken wight! Arannis, meanwhile, fed Gotem a potion and hid. Durth, still a bear, tried to attack the wight, but missed. Ord tried to shoot the wight, too, and also missed. I knew this wight would be our toughest foe yet. 

Then Onks finally got a hit in with Chill Touch. 

And, it seemed, the tide was turning in our favor. The wight, looking severely hurt now, raised its arms again and cast two bolts from its hands. It missed Gotem -- thank goodness -- but hit Ord. Ord remained steady on his feet though, and after taking the blast, he looked at me and nodded his thanks for the AID I’d provided earlier. 

And then the wight stepped forward and vanished in a mist.

We had other foes, in the meantime! The horse galloped away towards the north end of camp. The ogre charged around the southern medical tent, towards the main entrance where we’d fought earlier. I watched as the archers above the gate shot a volley of arrows. It ruined the effect of the ogre’s fear, but I felt sure we were near the end. Gotem threw a javelin at the ogre before hiding. 

And I could see my Spiritual Weapon shining just within range of that ogre. I moved it towards him and swung. He flinched, really feeling it now. Whisper shouted from somewhere -- I’d lost track in the chaos -- reminding me of my Sacred Flame. 

I didn’t blink twice. Flame-like radiance fell upon that ogre.

And it fell.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Perne finish off that nearby skeleton and rush towards the Commander. Ord followed. Arannis, meanwhile, darted up the closest tower to see what he could spot.

I planned to cast Detect Evil and Good to see if I could locate our final threat, but then I saw Bear!Durth sniff the air and turn around, back towards the north side of camp. Onks, Whisper, and Gotem all followed. 

I followed as well, still moving my Spiritual Weapon with me, though I could quickly feel it’s time coming to an end. There was, at any rate, nothing left to do for the moment. Perne came up behind me and Arannis darted in front of us. 

We all gathered at the entrance of the northern medical tent, where we could hear screams of fear. Several soldiers -- those who had been wounded in the battle the night previous -- limped out around us as fast as they could, horror on their faces. 

Anger surged through me then -- surely nothing compared to the rage that surges in Gotem’s blows, but I could understand it a little bit then, I thought. How dare this monster attack this camp, nearly kill my friends, and THEN, of all things, descend upon a camp of wounded. I could imagine what it might have planned for them, and I would have none of it!

I pushed past my friends, slipped inside past a strange statue of a tiger, and as if I could burn this creature down with the rage in my eyes, cast Sacred Flame once more towards its skull.⁴

Light flashed in it’s eyes and then it crumbled to pieces, nothing left but a pile of ash and bone. 

Beside me, the tiger statue turned back into Whisper. I let out a long, heavy breath. The heavy rain we’d fought in spattered against the canvas of the tent and then petered off. 

We stepped back out into a low fog. I very much wanted to attend to my friends and make sure they were alright -- I still had two spell slots left -- but then we heard a great commotion in the southern medical tent and rushed over.

There we discovered a crowd around Commander Breakbone. Eku motioned us forward towards his cot, where he writhed and spasmed as if in some horrible nightmare. Black tendrils like a spider web crept us his neck. 

“Something is siphoning his life,” Eku told us. “There is only one thing we can do to save him: we must go to Mbala and stop her.” 

She explained he has only three or four days, but we could get to Mbala in two. Arannis crudely suggested we cut off his head. I reminded myself, he is only just out of his elvish childhood years and has known a rough, roguish life and is exceedingly paranoid. That did not ease my mind. I had to content myself with the hope that he intended to protect the other villagers, however misguided his judgment. 

Between Durth and I, we healed as many of the soldiers as we could, including Perne and Ord. I cast my remaining spells, Prayer of Healing and a Healing Word. I thought, perhaps, I would be sorry to say goodbye to Perne.

And then I passed out in -- well, one of the tents that wasn’t trampled by the battle.

Setting out for Mbala

There is hardly a moment for rest in this forsaken jungle, so it seems. We set out as early as we could, after a long night’s rest. After the events of last night, I hardly noticed the unpleasantness of our accommodations. 

The soldiers had been hard at work while we slept, and had gathered the Undead skeletons, zombies, and horse in a great mound at the northwestern corner, near the abandoned outhouses. A group of soldiers, including Ord, solemnly saw us off. 

And then -- what do you know -- Perne follows us out the front entrance, a knapsack over her shoulder.

“For saving my life, and the lives of all my fellow soldiers, I’d like to join you all in the fight against Nanny Pu’Pu.”

Eku leads us into the jungle. 

Oddly, it felt colder than normal, and the wind blew especially fierce, blowing from behind us towards the south, in the direction we needed to go. It seemed to carry us along with it, and our pace quickened. Never had we traveled so fast. Whisper and Arannis raced along, but Whisper quickly outpaced him, and flew through the trees, delighted. It was good to see some humor about our party again. 

We stopped to forage about midday, and Onks and I discovered a good deal’s worth of coconuts, which we brought back to share. 

A Chilling Encounter

I must admit, I found it quite difficult to sleep that night. The ordeal with that hag vexes me. I wish I could find some way to lift this awful dread about me. I know I feel just a little off, and not my full self. That hag has done something to me -- not Nanny Pu’pu, that other one. I tossed and turned and just went I had settled into a deep sleep, Arannis woke us up to the sound of rumbling footsteps of some incredibly large creature.

As we were sleeping, I’d changed into my pajama armor (the studded leather), and felt incredibly vulnerable. Around me, my compatriots darted to hide in the trees, but I only had time to grab my shield.

And then two giant hands parted the trees above us like a curtain, and a giant woman’s blue head peered down at us.

A Frost Giant!

But here?

“Which one of you is Artus Cimber, bearer of the ring of winter?” it said to us, it’s low, slow voice. So, this must be that man we met along the river, the one that had turned it to ice, had saved us, and darted away without any polite words or even a name.

Whisper dropped to the ground to answer. “None of us, but we met him upriver.”

The giant conceded that it would be able to sense the ring, if it were close. She settled down into our camp, declaring she’d stay here -- no, I didn’t like that, but what could any of us do against a Frost Giant?!

Of course, Arannis seemed to think there was something he could do. “Do you have dark vision?” he asked. I’d have hid my face in my hands if I’d had the courage to so much as twitch.

“Whyyy?” the giant asked.

Arannis began to explain our complicated watch schedule, then waved his hand. “You know what, you’re enormous, you do you.”

Perhaps, in other circumstances, it would have been amusing.

The giant offered us all a drink from her huge flagon of ale. She then said, “I pray to one god, and it is not this... Bill.” Well, we are all used to this by now, familiar with Onks’ unusual method of communicating. He must have spoken to her mind directly, without sharing it with us. And of course, his vigilant efforts to spread the word of Bill continue. From the fishermen’s taverns in the port of Baldur’s Gate to deep within the jungles of Chult, the word of Bill continues to grow. 

I must admit, as strange as my fellows are, they are rather entertaining -- for all the trouble they cause. I wonder what Perne will think. I hope she is not too off-put by them. But she will see how good they can be.

Gotem managed alright with a sip of that giant’s drink, which is very good because the giant found this amusing. It clapped him on the back and Gotem fell face forward into the dust. 

“So you’re a Frost Giant,” Gotem said, standing up. “That’s out of season here.”

“Twenty of us made the joruney from the sea of moving ice. After this ring of winter,” she explained, in her slow way.

“What do we call you?” I asked.

“I’m Thyra Permafrost.”

This was going rather well, I thought, and I relaxed a little. The giant seemed somewhat appeased by our company. Though I don’t think I could sleep well, between the hag and this giant. 

This was when Arannis entered into a tense negotiation with her. He attempted to make a trade, “if you help us in the direction we’re going and we’ll help you in the direction you’re going.”

This did NOT bode well. Arannis babbled a little bit more, and the giant did not like this. She took some threatening steps towards him. 

Thank Ilmater, Whisper intervened. Fast on his feet and fast on his wits! “What he means to say is it was up the river to the northeast.”

He gave him further details on what had happened, and at last, the giant left. Feeling faint, I retired, with just a little concern over whatever consequences may fall out, between this Frost Giant and this man with the ring of winter. I am not sure who might be more fearsome.

Hotspring Hijinks

The next day passed without too much eventfulness. We did not travel as quickly, especially with the rain started coming down in sheets and we had to make camp quickly.

Someone discovered a hot spring, wild grapes growing nearby. It was a great improvement for morale, what with the rain, but I do not trust this jungle. I tossed a rock into the spring to see if it disturbed anything. No. Arannis poked his finger in; it didn’t seem acidic, so he stripped and dived in. Whisper hesitated only slightly and then followed suit. Onks started to enter, but that little smoke monster he keeps on his shoulder warned him off. Gotem fell in face first. 

They beckoned me in, but I saw Perne talking with Eku, so I joined them and ignored the general hijinks that ensued. After about an hour, Arannis called out, “Maritsa, do Undead breathe?” No, I told him. “Okay, he’s probably fine then.” I looked over to see Gotem floating facedown in the water. 

Onks and I then set out making camp and we all settled in for our nightly routine. Around that time, Whisper and Gotem started coughing and looking uncomfortable. 

You see, this jungle cannot be trusted.

Eku and I went over to look. Throat leeches. Disgusting, horrifying. I debated using Lesser Restoration, but it is a second level spell, and we will have no opportunities for a long rest before facing Nanny Pu’pu. 

Arannis, ever resourceful these days, suggested drinking acid from that jug we found in the booby-trapped temple. Surprisingly, Whisper took him up on the idea. Well, at least I could heal damage... At this point, I more vocally offered Lesser Restoration for Gotem, but he shook his head and decided to risk the acid. It did not seem to hurt him quite so much. 

And so their antics continue. 

Approaching Mbala

After several hours of hiking in the morning, we reached an 1,800-foot high plateau. Sheer cliffs rose above heaps of boulders as high as ships. We could see a narrow path cut into the cliff face, switching back here and there. Eku said we might be able to scale, but the path would be better. Surely climbing such a cliff face would be insanity. The path would suffice.

It took several hours to climb, but what stunning views! The Chult wilderness spread out before us, picturesque, lush, and green. Of course we know what nightmares lurk beneath this peaceful facade, but it was really nice to look at. 

We could see, in the distance, far to the southeast, a massive chunk of earth hovering midair, about several hundred feet off the ground. Eku explained this was an earthmote called the Heart of Ubtao, the last remaining of what was once many. Rumor has it, she said, it is occupied, but she hasn’t been to that area to confirm the truth. I wonder if our travel to find the source of this Death Curse will lead us there.

To the west, we could see the top of a ziggurat, barely poking out above the trees. Eku noted, in awe, that this was the ancient ziggurat of Orolunga and inside lives a great seer, Saja N’Baza, who she said has lived for thousands fo years. 

About one hundred feet below the top of the plateau, we came upon a fifteen-foot wide crevice. Into the sides were carved scenes of jungle predators, flying lizards, and erupting volcanos, and above all this, a massive fireball plummeting to the earth. Before us: gates rotted away, rusting on iron hinges. And human skulls grinning up from the roadway and above.

Notes:

1. He did some kind of Leadership ability that I’m not familiar with, but it gave us 1d4 on top of attack roles or saving throws

2. The wight cast Fear, causing us to each make Wisdom Saving Throw (Maritsa passed because her WIS modifier is stellar)

3. Channel Divinity: Turn Undead

4. HOW DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?! YAAS.

Also, DM told us to LEVEL UP !!! at the very end. Now Level 5 B) cannot WAIT to rock these new cleric moves.

#the latest with liz #liz plays dungeons and dragons #from the diary of maritsa stormwind #I HAD A BLAST YO #i fucking love d&d #that battle was intense #as is everything in this damn dinosaur jungle #i did not proof this #it took a long time to write #maybe i'll copyedit it in the am #liz plays toa #maritsa stormwind

[elgaberino-mcoc]

“SKILL SATURDAY

Trivia: On Oct. 24, 2019, I predicted NO KRAVEN for 2020. I was right. 

Reflecting some of the recent Kabam hints and Summoner discussions, I've updated his future champ profile. Check it out! 

Let me know if I missed any important notes. 

https://elgaberino-mcoc.tumblr.com/post/190889937294/kraven-the-hunter”

One big change was adding imaginejim’s fan build for Kraven.

#Skill Saturday #Kraven the Hunter #the blog #prediction #imaginejim #hunter #big game hunter #mcoc class skill #Spider Man rogue #pursuit #drank a jungle potion #shirtless bros of legend

[laurelfishbear]

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the summer of 2017, I answered the 30-Day Music Challenge on this blog. I'll be reupping the best of those posts from time to time, starting with this one.

23. A song that you think everybody should listen to.

You've probably heard them all -- done badly on some vocal competition show. Let's get the ones you've probably heard, in their original versions, out of the way. Then, I'll tell you about one I think you probably haven't heard, but should.

Ready? Here goes:

Blue Moon Of Kentucky, Bill Monroe

Man Of Constant Sorrow, The Stanley Brothers

Hoochie Coochie Man, Muddy Waters

Smokestack Lightning, Howlin' Wolf

Boom Boom, John Lee Hooker

Hound Dog, Big Mama Thornton

Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley

Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry

Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones

Dancing In the Streets, Martha and the Vandellas

Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Aretha Franklin

Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel

Let It Be, The Beatles

I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Marvin Gaye

You've Got A Friend, Carole King

Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who

Good Times, Chic

We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions, Queen

New York State Of Mind, Billy Joel

Billie Jean, Michael Jackson

Welcome To the Jungle, Guns 'n Roses

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, U2

You can keep "Stairway To Heaven". Bruce Springsteen isn't as universal as East Coast rock critucs think he is. Sheryl Crow's "Safe and Sound" should be on this list.

What about the one you may not have heard yet?

It lacks the obvious universality of the others. In these days of niche marketing, and identity politics on both sides of the fence, there are those who would actively hate it, making all kinds of assumptions about the women singing it and What They Really Mean. The sad thing is, everybody's been through this.

You might not see it at first, couched as it is in metaphor. Why on God's green earth are these singers rooting for the downfall -- perhaps even the physical death -- of a lone circus performer, even as they remember, with great fondness, her youth and her youthful genius?

The girl's story is not a happy one:

Well, some guy broke her heart and her heart it did ache

So she went to the tent and the lady of the snakes

Who gave her a potion and she drank it in

After that her heart never ached again

After that her heart never ached again.

Still, they can't wait for her to flop:

Yeah, one of these nights, the old girl's goin' down.

On and on they sing the girl's story, shedding their hearts' blood in the verses, then chanting that woeful, prophetic chorus.

By the time they get to the coda, they're singing at the tops of their lungs. And the word they are singing is "Hallelujah" -- literally "Praise God".

Louder and louder they stretch it and shape it -- an arrow, a battering ram, a boulder arcing through the air. With every volley they crush and crumble stone walls three feet thick. Everything must go in this battle -- everything phony, self-insulating, and self-congratulatory.

As the battle winds down, the singers' voices get softer, slower, more hesitant, and more than a little afraid of what they've done as they gaze down from their lofty perch in the stands at the tiny, crumpled thing on the floor below.

Is it the "old girl", or simply her old self?

The final "Hallelujah" feels like the best funeral oration they could give -- elegiac, with the tiniest flicker of hope.

Of peace.

This is Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris with "Trapeze".

#patty griffin #emmylou harris #1990s music #singer songwriter

[towaniegaita]

FAQs [Nozakibento, 16th October 2010]

Original post in Japanese

I collected together some of the questions I'm often asked.

 Basic Information

Name: Nozakibento

Date of Birth: 28th April 1986 (Showa 61)

Height: 177.5cm (as of 2018)

Weight: approx. 60kg

Blood Type: A

Home prefecture: Hokkaido. I was born in Sapporo. I also lived in Tokachi and Kushiro.

Current location: Tokyo (I moved there from Hokkaido in the year I turned 30)

Occupation: A 33 year old amateur idol

Hairstyle: I used to wear a wig, but now I mostly go for a messy style

Visual Acuity: Both eyes are around 1.5 without glasses

Characteristics: Nozakibento

Likes and Dislikes

Favourite food: Sliced senmai (boiled tripe), vegetables in general, meat in general (especially meat sashimi), seafood in general (especially octopus and oysters), anything cherry blossom flavoured, anything yuzu flavoured, rice, miso soup, soba, udon, niboshi ramen, yakuzen herbal soup, grated yam, tofu, shiokara, sushi, sashimi, seaweed, mochi, rice flour dumplings, wheat gluten cakes, keihan rice, oyster soy sauce, slow-boiled eggs, Indian curry from Tokachi, ice cream (especially citrus, mint chocolate, watermelon and vanilla flavours), hard gums, mini Ramune candy, agar jelly, almond tofu pudding, oroblanco

Least favourite food: None.

Favourite drinks: Tea in general, kale smoothie, scented but not sweetened sparkling water, vegetable juice, tomato juice, soba water, miso soup, dashi, non-alcoholic beer, ginger ale, black coffee

Favourite alcoholic drinks: Campari-based cocktails (especially Spumoni), Violet Fizz

Favourite animals: Daring crabs, spotted garden eels, owls, sea urchins when they eat cabbage

My type: Someone with a big heart, who isn't rude and doesn't complain all the time. Decisive, speaks logically and is a fast worker

Favourite scents: Bergamot, yuzu, oroblanco, lemongrass, lemon and lime, eucalyptus, vanilla, incense, hinoki cypress, the smell of hot springs, medicinal water, struck matches

Favourite sports: Table tennis, endurance running, non-competitive swimming, walking

Favourite instruments: When I listen to bands, I tend to focus on the drums, bass and keyboard. If I go to see a symphonic orchestral concert or something, I tend to watch the percussionists. I myself can't play any instruments.

Hobbies: Gaming, listening to game soundtracks, table tennis, reading, darts, being enveloped in aromas, checking my daily electricity bill using a bill management app

Special skills: Ability to work as a librarian, can sing The Tortoise And The Hare starting from different positions, a little bit of competitive eating (can eat up to about 2kg)

Qualifications: Librarian, teacher's licence (for primary, middle and high schools), certified member of the Sports Boy Scouts (link in Japanese), Kanji Aptitude Test Level 2, driving licence (for manual cars)

Person I most respect: My mother

Favourite subjects: Japanese (especially modern Japanese), contemporary society, ethics, politics and economics

Favourite season: The shade in midsummer

Favourite phrases: 

80% Preparation 20% Performance (dandori hachibu)

The early bird gets the worm (sente hisshou)

Niche business (sukima sangyou)

Information, Communication, Discussion (houkoku renraku soudan)

Easier said than done (iu wa yasuku okonau wa katashi)

Haste makes waste (tanki wa sonki)

Drink if you want, but be swallowed up (sake wa nondemo nomareru na)

The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean (i no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu)

A picture is worth a thousand words (hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu)

Stress-free

Favourite Japanese poem:

'If I live long,

I may look back with yearning for these painful days -

The world that now seems harsh

May then appear sweet and good!'

By Fujiwara no Kiyosuke, translation by Peter McMillan

Favourite place to hang out: Inside a game

Favourite characters: Domo-kun (NHK), Moji-kun (Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan), Zushi Hokki (official mascot of Hokuto city in Hokkaido), Jack Frost (Megami Tensei series), Morgana (Persona 5)

Favourite anime: Eureka Seven

Favourite manga: Love Roma by Toyoda Minoru

I Wonder If I Can Make 100 Friends by Toyoda Minoru

Yoake no Toshokan by Nonou Tao

Other manga I like: Nangoku Shounen Papuwa-kun, PAPUWA, Final Request, Yu☆Yu☆Hakusho, Revelations: Persona, Mind Assassin, Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, Arakawa Under The Bridge, Fushigi Yuugi, Ranma 1/2, Psychometrer EIJI, The Kindaichi Case Files, Rakudai Ninja Rantarou, Soul Hunter etc.

Favourite game: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers

Other games I like: Shin Megami Tensei 1-4, Shin Megami Tensei 4 Final, Shin Megami Tensei if, Persona 1-5, Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha 1 and 2, DIGITAL DEVIL SAGA Avatar Tuner 1 and 2, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 1 and 2,  Little Magic, Jake Hunter: Let Time Pass By, LIVE A LIVE, Final Fantasy 5 and 8, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana, Schoolhouse Horror Story, Banshee's Last Cry, Jungle Wars 2, Ranma 1/2: Hidden Treasure of the Red Cat Gang, Renegade, The New Hot-Blooded Tough Guy: The Eulogy of Kunio and Co., Puyo Puyo, Puyo Puyo 2, Saga Frontier, Monster Farm, Monster Farm 2, KOF98, SAMURAI SPIRITS, vib-ribbon, Clock Tower 2, Clock Tower Ghost Head, Maria: Kimitachi Ga Umareta Wake, Double Cast, Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan, RPG Maker Series, etc. As for social network games, I like Kuroneko no Wiz Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei Revelation, and Ensemble Stars!

What I most want right now: Time

Do I smoke? Never. But I have nothing against those who do. I don't mind if someone smokes next to me.

Things I struggle with: Exercise, exercise, exercise, exercise, English, mental arithmetic, making other people cross.

What I like about myself: Large earlobes

What I don't like about myself: The fact that I easily neglect my work if I lose focus.

Do I like nurses? I like them if they're good at giving injections.

Favourite way of heating things up in a microwave: 2 minutes at 500W

Ideal way to spend a day off: Sleep like I've melted into the bed, do the cleaning and laundry when I wake up, play games like I'm bathing in them, sleep again.

Novels I’m glad to have read and why: There's a lot, so I'll just list what I can remember off the top of my head.

★ Criss Cross - Konton no Maou by Takahata Kyouichirou, published by MediaWorks. This was the very first book that made me interested in reading novels.

★ Natsu no Niwa - The Friends by Yumoto Kazumi, published by Shinchousha. When I felt down, I read this and my heart was cleansed.

★ Rirekisho by Nakamura Kou, published by Kawade Shobou Shinsha. Because it gave me courage.

★ Tsubasa wa Itsu Made Mo by Kawakami Ken'ichi, published by Shuueisha. I simply thought that it was a really good book, and reading it made me want to read more books like it in the future.

★ Tsumetai Kousha no Toki wa Tomaru by Tsujimura Mizuki, published by Kodansha. This was the book that reminded me that I wanted to keep reading novels forever.

NicoNicoDouga and Dance covers

When did you start using NicoNico? 2007, in the earliest days of the RC version.

What kind of videos do you watch on NicoNico? Anything.

Were you learning how to dance? I've never learnt how to dance.

Why did you start dancing? I wanted to take part in the first large-scale Cirno meeting. (T/N: An event where a whole bunch of people from NND get together to dance to Cirno's Perfect Math Class. Here's the 2009 version.)

What's the average production time for a single video? It varies.

What's been the most fun thing to dance to so far? Ren'ai Hunter

Which of your own dance videos are you most satisfied with? Domo-kun's dance to MERRY GO ROUND

Where you happy to be chosen in the Geiran videos (A series where a gay man ranked dancers on NND)? I was.

Which version is your current Domo-kun?

Hokkaido and Tokyo version: Tiramisu (Original version. Mainly stays at home. On active duty)

Osaka version: Chocolat (Retired)

Fukuoka version: Fondue (Retired)

Tokyo version: Belgium (Retired)

Tokyo version: Demel (Retired)

What kind of expressions do you make and what feelings do you have when dancing as Domo-kun or in the blue full bodysuit? None

What would happen to you if you drank a strange potion? I'd become aggressive.

Aren't you going to wear a wig anymore? I'd like to wear one again some time soon.

Other

Were you in any clubs during middle school? I was in the table tennis club for all 3 years. My high school club is a secret.

Do you have a girlfriend? It'd be annoying to have to update this page if I got a girlfriend or if we broke up so that's also a secret.

What are your dreams and goals? To make the people I love happy. I want to live in a way that I can look back when I die and think that I lived a good life.

What are your habits? Looking at the ingredients and nutrition facts labels on food. Looking at the ingredients labels on shampoo. Moving around unsteadily. Clicking my tongue without any thought behind it.

What are your typical phrases? Okay (ii yo), I see (naruhodo), Why?! (nande dayo), hahahaha, hah hah hah hah, HAHAHAHA

What are your main principles? To always live calmly, and to never miss an opportunity

Does your Roomba have a name? It's called Junpei.

When did you first meet Domo-kun? A friend gave me a Domo-kun plushie for my birthday and the rest is history.

What was it that drew you to Domo-kun? His loveliness.

Where did you get such a large number of plushies from? Some of them I bought, some of them I received. A few of them I got from a crane machine.

What do you want to do right now? Sleep.

What part time jobs have you done in your life? Waiter at a sushi restaurant, library work, private tutoring.

If you have a child in the future, what book would you absolutely want them to read? You Are Umasou by Miyanishi Tatsuya, published by Poplar

Do you have any rivals? No (because no-one will compete in the same ring as me).

What's your image of the ideal human? Someone who can do fundamental things reliably.

What's your motto? Stress-free

What's the reason for your name?

Nozaki → Named after Nozaki Megumi from the idol group CHECKICCO

Bento → My inspiration

 -------------

First published 16th October 2010, updated 1st December 2019

#blog post #nozakibento #mesemoa #musumen #blog translation #16.10.2010 #1.12.2019 #if he changes this in the future I'll try to come back and update it

[ariwilder]

It’s not over until the Fat Lady sings | Part VI

Pairing: Penny Haywood x Jacob’s Sibling

Summary: It’s over. It’s your final day at Hogwarts. It’s time to say farewell to your friends and soon enough the start of new adventures.

Part I  |  Part II  |  Part III  |  Part IV | Part V | Part VI

You cannot recognize the direction in which you are walking with precision. All the jungle looks exactly the same to you. Tree after tree, vine after vine. Unlike Professor Oliveira, who navigated the jungle with such ease as if it were her home, you found yourself constantly fumbling with the uneven terrain, Penny constantly bumps against your back as a result.

Rakepick and Professor Oliveira come into a halt. You feel Penny’s body press against you again before she settles on holding the sleeve of your robe.

“Visitors first, por favor.”

It’s a tent under the disillusionment charm. You are pleasantly surprised. You had only read of this but never actually practiced it yourself. You knew very few people from the top of your head who could hold such charm for an indeterminate amount of time.

Rakepick goes first. You step aside to let Penny pass through. She looks at you as if you had suddenly grown another magical head. You can only assume she had never been inside a tent with an

Undetectable Extension Charm before.

“Just go,” You whisper. Noticing her hesitance, you take her hand into yours and lead the way.  

It isn’t spacious or anywhere fancy unlike the last tent you were in with your parents while on the last Quidditch World Cup. Unlike you, a true and loyal fan of Maximus Brankovitch, most of your vapid family members spent most of the five days of the that last Quidditch Final inside it.

On the back, there are two doors. At simple inspection, a small kitchen, with a stove and a breakfast bar with four wooden stools. All sorts of unknown plants perched in apparent order occupy the squared dining table. You feel Penny squeeze your hand before letting it go. The plants on the table are the first things that pick her interest.

“Do you know any of these, menina?”

Penny’s blue eyes shine in excitement, “Cordia verbenacea, for ointment against powerful magical scars, euphorbia tirucalli or naked lady can mimic almost any disease, and an awakening potion with Trichilia catigua can stop you from batting an eye for days.”

Maria Aparecida Oliveira smiles widely, almost feverishly, her resemblance to a cat, uncanny.  

“Maravilha, maravilha,” she grabs both of Penny’s hands into her bony ones, “Do you enjoy potion making, dear?”

“I love potion making.” Her words carry emphasis, a doting mother talking about her child. Her blue eye glaze over. It is not very often that you see Penny’s eye shine with such excitement.

“Perfect! I sense, you and I will enjoy working together my child, very good, very good.” she pats

Penny’s hands before letting them go.  

Her tawny eyes are magnetic, neither of you can take your eyes of Professor Oliveira. It is almost as if you feel compelled to look at her. Her eyes a magnet, the unnatural feeling of it made a shudder run down your spine.  

A sudden thunder erupts through the tent, the familiar sound of a magical apparition. No one speaks as all heads turn to the entrance. The surroundings turn suddenly still, the idea that you had just escaped a persecution is fresh in your mind.

You unexpectedly feel the pointy but heavy pressure of a wand behind you. You even your breathing; the last thing you want to disclose to a potential enemy is fear. That much, you do know.

“Quem são?” the voice is deep and masculine. You are instantly confused. Despite having your eyes set on the door, your eyes did not manage to notice a single indication of movement.  

“I don’t understand you.” you speak through gritted teeth.  

The situation unnerves you. Penny stands motionless beside Professor Oliveira, her grip tight against her own wand, so tight in fact you can recognize a perceptible quiver. Rakepick, on the other side of the room, looks uninterested in your direction with no apparent intention of coming to your aid. Had this been a set up all along? What are you supposed to do in a situation like this? You are not prepared for an ambush…

“Nico! Eles são aliados, uncover yourself.” Professor Oliveira’s voice is loud and clear.  

You turn your head the moment you feel the pressure of the wood disappear from your back. Before you, the silhouette of a tall black man starts to materialize from head to toe. It is almost as he had been hiding under an invisible cloth. He towers over you; his deep sunken dark eyes connect with yours.  

You tense your grip around your own wand instinctively.  

“Nicolau Zumbi,” he nods in acknowledgment.

“He is my assistant; it is a couple of years since he is out of school, not much different from yourselves.”  

Professor Oliveira speaks casually, as if this stranger had not just threatened you with his wand.

Something in you screamed you to run, to escape, but your feet would not budge. Fear, strong and foreign, paralyzes you. A couple of steps from you, Penny Haywood looks unusually pale.  

“Excuse me, I did not know.” His words are morose, but his English, unlike his companion’s, is easier to understand albeit American sounding.  

“You have to understand, crianças,” you feel her bony hands on your shoulder now, warm against your tense muscles, “the Amazônia is a sacred area, home to a restricted number of botanical and  magizoological species, only wizards with a special permission from the congresso are allowed here.”

“Do we have permission?” Penny ventures, still pale but noticeably more relaxed.

Oliveira’s laugh is loud and melodic, unlike any other laugh you had heard before. You can only assume the tent is charmed with a silencing spell as well.  

“Paty, are your children unaware of the way you work?” she can’t hide the laughter from her words as your attention shifts to your ‘mentor’. Rakepick doesn’t look humored, and remains nonplussed to your reproachful stare.  

You know Patricia Rakepick is self-serving and narcissistic, but jeopardizing your life without your acknowledgement is beyond utilitarian. Machiavellian. A total disregard of Penny and you as individuals. Had she told you from the beginning you were about to immerse yourself in an adventure bordering on illegal in another country, perhaps, you would have given it a second thought. You feel ashamed about these thoughts, considering the amount of dangerous misgivings you got your friends and yourself into as a student. Yet, the fear in your heart, for Penny on the most part, is real.  

Your body finally moves a step forward on Rakepick’s direction. Her impassive stare challenges you.

You feel Professor Oliveira’s bony hand tense over your shoulder. It is Penny who finally stops you, however, with a gentle hand over your arm.  

She does not have to say it, her hand, always gentle carries a firm ‘don’t do this’. You sigh through your nostrils in frustration. This is too much information for you to remain calm a minute longer.  

“You are probably tired from the trip; we can talk about this tomorrow, if you excuse me.” Her words are final as you watch Patricia Rakepick disappear behind one of the doors inside the tent leaving you dumbstruck.  

“Nico, offer them tea, querido, it is a long trip, after all.”  

“That would be lovely,” Penny chimes in as she calmly guides you towards one of the wooden stools in the kitchen.  

You drink your tea in silence. You are frankly not convinced of trusting these people but you are beyond livid to think properly. You don’t really listen to what Maria Aparecida Oliveira has to say.

“This is an ancient brew of tea, far from magical but particularly recomforting”, she says.

Her words rapidly drift in the distance in and out of focus as words of retellings of her own travels and adventures go through deaf ears.  

“You’ve been silent.” Penny’s words are a whisper, conversely loud in the silence of the tent.

You settled on the opposite room to Rakepick. The room is empty, except for a desk and a candle. With you, two sets of blankets and pillow. Oliveira sent you to sleep after the tea, of which you did not drink a single drop.

You have had been so busy racking your brains about the situation you failed to notice Penny had not fallen sleep. Granted, sleeping on a flat floor does not make it any easy. The weather is so mild and humid you had to doff your travelling cloaks altogether by the floor.

“We should be sleeping.” You turn on your side to look at your friend.

You can barely identify Penny’s laid down figure over the brim of the dimming light emanating from the candle on the desk. If anything, it makes her look even more beautiful to you.

“Yet, you are not.”

“You aren’t either.”

“You should’ve drank the tea, it had valerian root.”

You wrinkle your nose in distaste. As long as your britishness is concerned, you cannot recognize other tea than Earl Grey, even if your life depended on it. As for Penny, there is no day she does not surprise you.

You cast a silencing charm under your breath.

“I don’t trust these people.” You confess lightly.

I don’t trust myself or why I allowed you to tag along, is an addition that remains on your lips. Other than anger, guilt has taken a permanent spot on your stomach.

You feel Penny move closer to you before whispering your name. The tip of the fingertips of her nearest hand interlaces with yours.

“Do you trust me?” she is so close you can feel the hotness of her breath over the humid air.

“Yes,” it is a certain truth, “do you trust me, Penny?” your eagerness betrays you. Your decision-making has disappointed you, and you fear, Penny as well.

“You are one of the most talented sorcerers I have met, of course I trust you.” She pauses, “it is my decision to be here, okay? Please, don’t fret about it. We’ll figure everything out. Like always.”  

Your pounding heart finally comes to a lull as you feel your stomach relax instantly at her words. It is almost as if she has been reading your thoughts all along, she knows you that well.

You get a glimpse of her tender smile as you see the light finally wane into total darkness. Her warm hand, however, remained over yours, right until slumber finally befell you.

.

.

.

Tall brightly colored buildings surround you. It is nothing like you ever seen before. You don’t know why but a raising feeling of panic quickly takes over you. You are following someone, or is someone is chasing you, you are not quite sure. The tall brick structures are separated, only, by narrow and dark alleyways, making it feel like a maze.

You look up only to see towering smoke intertwining with the dark sky. You hear shouting in the vicinity, your wand is firm on your hand, ready.

Are you looking for someone? Why do you feel so panicky?  

Someone crashes into your shoulder with force, almost knocking you into the floor.  Bony hands grab you by the shoulders only to go into a fervent rant.

“Isso é culpa da Macumba! Corra ou morra! É uma maldição!”

.

.

.

A light shake on your shoulder wakes you from your slumber. You open your eyes blearily to meet a mane of bright straw colored hair. Penny is kneeling over you, her usually braided hair combed into a bun.

You want to smile at her but your body feels unusually clammy, as if you’d been coated by the thick saliva of a Cerberus.

“Maria told me to get you, we are leaving soon.”

Your throat feels unusually dry despite the humidity. You can even feel your white shirt pressing against your chest nastily. The thought of using Aguamenti on yourself crosses your mind briefly.

“Thank Merlin.” Your skin is not used to tolerating climates like these.

You take a fast look around to notice the room as empty as you found it. The wooden desk with an extinguished candle on the corner. Penny’s blanket neatly folded beside you. You look up to find Penny handing you your traveling cloak, folded as well, and with an unusual soapy smell.

“I might’ve scourgified it.” A light blush graces Penny’s cheeks before she leaves the room with a quiet, ‘hurry up’.

The image of what domestic life with Penny would be like pushes the recent memory of your dream on the back of your head as you decide on a change of clothes under your recently washed traveling cloak. It is a bit embarrassing for you to accept, you have completely forgotten the last time you had cleaned it yourself.

You exit the room to find Maria and her assistant, Nicolau, packing the last of their herbs and flowers into a big rectangular trunk. You share a scowl with an anxious looking Penny, who quickly reaches your side.

“Where is Rakepick?”

As far as you are concerned, your alliance to her, your mentorship, has suffered an important blow. You never really trusted her, not really, but suddenly abandoning you in the middle of nowhere with strangers didn’t look too good in your book.

“Paty is doing a Portkey, we been waiting for you. We cannot wait more and not compromise the mission.” Maria’s calm answer contrasts to your briskness.

You see her draw a golden pocket watch from under her green cloak. You notice it is not much different from Rakepick’s own, if not the same. As in on cue, one of the white porcelain teacups you had drank from just a night before starts to glow a intense blue hue.

“We have to leave now."

"One.”

You share glances with Maria.

“Two.”

You and Penny share glances.

There really is no other choice. Remain the middle of the Amazon or find out what exactly are you doing in Brazil. You can’t help but give her a lopsided grin. Sometimes, you can be really dense. And forgiving. And naive. And trusting. If something is ever going to get you killed is your sense of adventure and curiosity.

“Three.”

You see Penny reach for the teacup with you before you feel the now familiar feeling under your navel. Your stomach churns on an empty stomach and unforgiving bile. It is not much different from the adrenaline pump you feel everytime you ride over a broom at max speed. Your thrill for the unknown might one day be your great dismissal.

Not today.

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. Real life got in the way. I had my very own end of the (school) year promotion, and also fell sick. I wrote all of these on off chances I had at work, mostly. Hopefully, it won't show. Happy reading! And off to action we go on the next chapter! Remember you can also find it in Ao3. Link on my fanfiction masterlist.

#penny haywood #penny haywood x mc #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hphm #hogwarts mystery #jacob's sibling #jacob's sibling x penny haywood

[packratprincess]

poor queeny, her greed got the better of her (like always) and she lusted after the ancient power rumored to be hidden deep within the jungle ruins of Na'Jashay. After surviving the many perils of the jungle and reaching the ruins, she was aided by a devious spirit pretending to be a guide as it showed her the secrets to circumventing all of the booby traps. However she was misled, and when she drank the potion at the heart of the ruins she was not granted the power she sought, but instead transformed into a monstrous snake creature. The spirit however, was quite pleased with her folly, as drinking the potion had bound the spirit to her body so that he could escape his imprisonment in the ruins, not at guide at all, but simply another foolish treasure seeker like her who had been slain by the ruins defenses.

#concept art #sketch #transformation #tf