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min-inu · 4 years

Text

Hypnotic | y.kh

Genre: Horror (I guess); suggestive

Word count: 5296

Information: wendigo!Kihyun, female reader

Warnings: Mentions of blood and graphic depictions of other things that could be disturbing; a way of writing that is too descriptive (is that even a warning?)

wendigo: a mythological man-eating creature or evil spirit from the folklore of United States and Canada; a monster with some characteristics of a human. It's connected to acts of murder, insatiable greed and cannibalism.

Happy Birthday to my one and only amazing “mom”, @raibebe who I love very much. 💖 I wrote this for her, since her bias is Kihyun and I wanted to write something.

To my precious mom: I know it’s not a surprise, but I’ll keep calling it that. I hope you like it, even though it’s too long and descriptive. Please enjoy it and have an amazing rest of your birthday, even though I posted this pretty late. I wish you all the best things in the world, because you totally deserve them!

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You took your suitcase to the hut that you were going to stay in for this weekend and you started looking around as soon as you went inside and closed the door. The walls were made of wood, which made you feel somewhat comfortable. In front of you there was a big white sofa and a fireplace. There were also bookshelves, on which the owner has left some books and magazines. You were definitely not going to be bored here – after all the stress from the university, all you needed was exactly the cozy atmosphere that this house was offering, in order to get some rest. It was difficult to convince your family, though – they wanted to come with you, stating it was dangerous for a young girl to stay in a hut alone in the woods. But you assured them you were no longer a kid and you should be respected and trusted enough to at least take a short vacation on your own. Sometimes people really drained you and left you with no energy. That’s why you believed the best way for you to relax was to go on a trip – alone. Aside from that, it wasn’t as if you were outside of the country: you were in a small peaceful and safe village, close to your hometown. It was only half an hour drive, it passed almost without you noticing. You didn’t believe there was any reason for your family to be so worried, especially when you certainly weren’t.

You sighed, sitting on the comfortable sofa and took your phone out of the pocket of your winter coat. You checked the time - it was 2 pm, which was the perfect time to go out for a walk and get to know the village a little bit. You weren’t afraid you were going to get lost – you were actually pretty good at remembering paths. The only problem was the weather, because it was freezing cold outside. It was already winter, so low temperatures weren’t something surprising for this time of the year, but bad weather definitely wasn’t your favorite. You looked through the window to see it was snowing outside. The leafless trees were covered by thick layers of white snow which you found to be absolutely beautiful. You grabbed your phone, even though you knew there wasn’t any wifi connection or even mobile signal. You just felt safer when you had your phone with you. It wasn’t really a good weapon, if an unknown villager suddenly attacked you (just the thought of it made you laugh a bit, because your family really believed this was possible), but it made you feel calm, so this was a good enough reason.

You went out of the house, locking the door, then you started walking. It was quiet and you found this to be relaxing. You could barely hear your own humming, while you were walking near a lake. You stopped to look at it – it was frozen, but it was still beautiful; or maybe that was exactly the reason for its beauty. After you finished admiring the frozen lake, you resumed your walking. Before coming here, while you still had wifi, you looked up some information about the village – even though strangely there wasn’t that much. Maybe the mystery was what made the place attractive to you. You got the folded map out of your coat’s pocket as you unfolded it to read where the local shop was. You wanted to do some shopping – you needed to eat something after all. According to the map you had to go through the forest to get to the shop. That made no sense to you. “Why do I have to do that?” you asked yourself. Was that the only route possible? After all, your own hunger motivated you to keep going and find that shop, if there was one. You started walking, trying to remember the paths you walked on, for you to be able to come back. It seemed difficult, but you were sure that if you paid enough attention, you would be able to memorize it. As you were walking, you stumbled across a branch and you almost fell down, but you succeeded to keep your balance. What you saw in front of you, however, made you freeze in place in terror. You were quite sure it was a corpse. You prayed it wasn’t what it looked like – but as you took one small step forward hesitantly, your suspicions were confirmed. But it wasn’t animal’s corpse, even though that would be terrifying enough – it was human’s. You started shaking in fear. “This can’t be real. This is a nightmare”, you kept telling to yourself. But it seemed real. It seemed horribly real and it was. You could see the body and its skin which was not whole – it looked as if it was torn apart. But who, or what, could chew a person’s skin to that extent? Human teeth definitely couldn’t do that, even if cannibals existed. Just thinking about that, you felt you were shivering in fear. The face of the dead person also looked pale and lifeless, just like the rest of the bloody body. You even saw body parts that were slightly detached from the body.

Knowing that you have seen more than enough, you did the only thing which you could think of – run back to the hut. “I’m taking all my stuff right now and I’m going home. I don’t want to be here anymore”, you thought, but you were trying to run so desperately in the thick snow that you stumbled again and you fell down, feeling more hopeless than ever. “But… if I leave this early, my family isn’t going to let me go anywhere alone in the future. Seeing me so scared would make them think that I can’t be alone”. You wanted to prove them wrong and even though it was dangerous, you were willing to do it. You were not a person who was giving up easily – even if there was an obstacle, you always found a way to cope with everything. This time was not going to be an exception, so you got up from the cold ground and you continued walking until you got to the hut. When you were there, you locked the door as you sat to think of the possible reasons why the body looked like that. It seemed as if sharp teeth have ripped the skin apart. The image was still way too vivid in your mind, it was as if you have taken a picture of the body and now you couldn’t delete it. And you wanted to, because now you were sure you were not getting any sleep tonight. “Maybe it was a wolf”, you tried explaining the body’s condition. “Or some other animal”. Whatever this creature was, you only knew one thing for sure – you didn’t want it to approach you ever.

Hours have passed and now it was dark outside. It was late evening and you were starting to feel sleepy. You still haven’t eaten anything and you had a stomachache due to this fact. You tried to ignore it and just go to sleep, but it just wouldn’t stop growling. You took a blanket and you wrapped yourself in it, laying on the big bed in the bedroom. The light in the room was left on purposefully, in efforts for you not to feel that scared, but honestly it didn’t help much. You laid on the bed, trying to forget the image, but it wouldn’t go away, no matter how much you have tried to chase it out of your brain. Finally, you succeeded to fall asleep after a long time.

* * *

You woke up from rather peculiar noises coming from the outside. You took your phone to look at the time – only one hour and a half have passed since you went to bed. You succeeded to have a nightmare during the time you were asleep and it made you even more afraid to wake up in the real life. You couldn’t stop wondering why there was a corpse in the woods. Wasn’t there any police? Or any villagers who wanted to do something about it? And why haven’t you met at least one person during your stay here? That’s it – you had to find some evidence of people living here. You had go and see what the source of the strange noises was that made you unable to sleep. You got up from the bed and you took your winter jacket – actually you didn’t bring any pajamas, so you were still dressed in your jeans and sweater. You hoped the strange noises came from animals – bears, wolves, foxes. Even though you were scared of them, you were even more terrified of the creatures you had nightmares about. You put your boots on as you slowly got closer to the door. You were still hesitant about your plan to find and eventually confront the mysterious source of the strange noises, but there was not many things you could do. The other option was to stay asleep all night, hearing the noises and going crazier with every minute. You actually thought that there was a chance it was all in your head – you wanted to go and see for yourself that there was nothing to be afraid of. Or was there?

You walked out of the hut, feeling cold air slightly caress your skin even through the thick layer of clothes you were wearing. You put your hands in the pockets of your winter jacket, but only seconds after you took them out, deciding that hands were going to be useful if you were going to fight someone or something. Then you realized you didn’t have any weapon so you were quite embarrassed to go back to the hut and grab a knife from the kitchen just in case. When you went outside again, you started seriously questioning your sanity. Going out of the comfortable hut in the middle of the night to go fight some probably non-existent monsters? You felt as if you were out of your mind. But that didn’t stop you from walking – you actually heard the noise again and you saw a flickering light in the distance, which encouraged you. You felt quite excited – but your main feeling was still fear. You continued following the light, then you suddenly lost it again. Were there any people? This light really looked as if it could be coming from a flashlight. As you started walking deeper into the dark forest while you held your phone in one of your hands to use its flashlight and a knife in the other, you lost sight of the light again. Just then the flashlight of your phone landed on something rather terrifying. You were so shocked that you stumbled, while trying to take a few steps back, and fell on the thick snow, letting out a loud gasp, which attracted the creature’s attention. You also dropped your phone in the snow, but it landed in a way you could still see the light coming from it. You noticed the creature’s claws, sharp row of teeth, perfect for ripping skin apart – speaking of that, it was exactly what the creature was doing. You saw another corpse, but this one looked even worse than the previous one you saw earlier. The creature in front of it looked insatiable. No matter how much flesh it devoured, it just couldn’t get enough. There was a lot of blood, body parts that were partially bitten off and you could even see human organs such as heart, lungs and kidneys that were still in its place. What was that creature and why did it seem it only ate flesh? Even this was already scary enough.

“Oh, darling,” the creature said, wiping blood from his mouth. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

And in the next moment, in front of you stood a man. No sharp teeth, no claws, no inhumanly skinny body: it was a handsome man instead.

You were trembling, while you were feeling the coldness of the snow against your skin. Various thoughts were present in your head, but none of it was related to believing what was happening to you was real. You felt as if you were the main character in a horror movie; your second theory was that this was all a nightmare and you would wake up very soon. But why weren’t you waking up?

The man quickly put some clothes on that were obviously off during his transformation as he came closer to you. In response, you tried to move back, while you were still lying in the snow. You tried to take your knife, but as you reached for it, you felt another hand suddenly take it, resulting in the knife cutting through your own hand. You let out a silent whimper as you saw there was already blood. The man simply took your hand as if it was the most normal thing to do and he slowly licked the blood of it, savoring every drop.

“Only your blood tastes this good… I wonder what the rest of you tastes like?”

You couldn’t help but think of inappropriate thoughts and you felt your cheeks reddening in result. “What’s wrong with me? How could I be sexualizing a monster in my head?”. It was actually a simple task when the so-called monster was this attractive. You still didn’t understand what was happening, but his voice sounded somehow foreign to your ears. It was only natural that you get a little bit aroused, despite what you just saw. The feeling was like hearing a foreigner speaking your native language – the man in front of you had such an interesting accent and his voice was enough to make you addicted. When you looked into his captivating eyes, you got even more convinced about that. There was definitely something special in him.

“W-what are you?” you succeeded to ask as you were shivering from the cold and from all the fear that you felt that was holding your heart and causing you a pain there. You did not break eye contact with the man who didn’t look very human-like only a minute ago. But now he did and you couldn’t get enough of his perfect features.

“I can be your worst nightmare or your most beautiful dream. It’s only a matter of perception, love,” he took a deep breath as he continued speaking. “When you saw my other face just a minute ago, you didn’t seem to like it. Now look at yourself – your face getting redder with every word I say, as you’re swooning over me. I guess I just proved my theory to you.”

And he was right – as he was talking to you right now, you felt more relaxed. You almost forgot that he was a horrible creature just minutes ago – this man had a duality you never have imagined. He held his hand in front of your face for you to take it, but you did not do it. Instead you kept sitting on the snow, waiting for him to move back, so that you could stand up.

“Come on. I’m not going to hurt you. I just had dinner. Besides, I’m actually on a diet recently.”

If this was not real life, you could have laughed, hearing that last part. But you didn’t do it, because this was as real as it seemed. Suddenly, you heard your stomach growling. You pressed both your hands there in efforts to make it stop, but it didn’t.

“I may have eaten my dinner, but I see someone else didn’t,” the man giggled, which also sent shivers down your spine.

How could he have such a husky, yet angelic voice? You have never heard something as beautiful before. Even though he was just speaking his voice sounded like a song. Especially with his exotic pronunciation – this man may be terrifying, but he was even more intriguing. You found yourself staring at his eyes that shined bright like diamonds. You couldn’t exactly describe their color – it was a mixture of mostly black with some interesting highlights.

“What are you?” you repeated your question, this time saying it louder and more confidently, as you stood up.

You realized you were the same height as him, but that didn’t surprise you – you were quite tall yourself, so he definitely looked tall enough as he was standing in front of you just seconds ago. He had good body proportions, an attractive face and clean hair which surprised you. Monsters were supposed to look scary. But why was he so handsome?

“I’m called a wendigo. We are actually pretty rare,” he chuckled. “Not that I’m bragging, but I’m sure you have never seen somebody like me.”

You definitely haven’t seen someone nearly as attractive as him and that was a fact.

“Wait, a wendigo? Like those evil spirits that possess a human body and turn the person into a cannibal?” you asked with surprise. “So this is not your real body?”

“Consider me impressed. You definitely know a lot about my species, but you obviously know nothing about me. My case is a little bit different. I was born in this body, with this so-called evil spirit living in my mind. The first time I felt it was when I was a kid – I ate quite a lot of food so I was pretty chubby back then. No matter how much food I ate, it was never enough. This is until I felt a real craving for human flesh, thus, I tried tasting it and it turned me into a monster. Surprise.”

You were beyond disgusted when you heard that this attractive young man was born this way. How was it even possible? Was it something you inherited from your biological parents? Being a wendigo? That was impossible, right? Whatever this crazy illogical nightmare was, you wanted it to end soon.

“When I started satisfying my hunger with human flesh, I realized I never needed any real human food to begin with, so I lost weight. I still love food, though. Like, have you ever tried chicken burrito? It’s so delicious. I’m hungry now.”

This man definitely seemed to love talking about food and even joking about it. But the fact that now you knew what kind of creature he was still freaked you out.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking your hand, but you let go.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” you said, keeping your hands close to your body.

“I want to go and eat chicken burrito,” he pouted, looking almost innocent.

“Go by yourself and please leave me alone,” you said with trembling voice.

You started walking back to your hut but he quickly stopped you.

“I thought we already talked about this. I’m not going to eat you. I’m on a diet, so I only eat one person’s flesh a day.”

It was strange hearing him talk about this so casually. You felt as if it was all one big joke by the way he was acting. But you knew what you saw and he knew what he did. He was not nearly as innocent as he looked right now.

“Aside from that, you’re way too pretty. It’s my first time seeing such a beautiful human. I could never destroy such a masterpiece. Come and have dinner with me,” he said that sentence more as a fact than a request which was clear even in his tone. He was not asking you for permission: he already knew you were going to submit to him anyway.

The way every word was rolling off his tongue and the flavor his specific tone added to his voice was making him totally irresistible. Hearing this man talk could easily be your new lullaby. He sounded so persuasive without even trying. How could you say “no” when basically only one look into his magnificent eyes was enough to make you go weak at the knees? And him calling you a masterpiece – nobody has ever called you something like that. It seemed that he really meant it, so you were willing to trust him. He gave you no other option. Even though you were scared to death, you couldn’t help but trust him completely – you shivered because of that thought, mixed with fear and sweet desire to do something wrong. At this moment, you didn’t know if you wanted to pack your things, go home and never come back, or to stay here forever.

“Do you have a car?” he suddenly broke the silence and you nodded. “Great, where is it?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere outside of the forest?” you answered unsurely.

He sighed as you two continued walking in the same direction you came from and after a couple of minutes walking you succeeded to find your car.

“Is it your car?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, it is,” you said, as you unlocked the car and you went to the driver’s seat, but before you get in, the man stopped you.

You couldn’t believe you were going to have dinner with a stranger who was also not exactly human. Was there even a way this could get any more twisted than it already was?

“Give me the keys,” he said, grabbing them from your hand.

You were taken aback by his sudden movement as his hand touched yours. Another thing that surprised you was his bluntness. You shook your head in clear disapproval.

“There’s no way I’m letting a stranger, who is not even a person, drive my car.”

“Please, don’t discriminate,” he pouted. “Hi, I’m Kihyun. Done, I’m not a stranger to you anymore. You know my name and I’m also a human right now. I don’t think you have more excuses now, missy.”

You couldn’t believe he was making everything sound so casual. He seemed like an easy-going person, so now it was completely impossible to feel threatened by him in any way. The scariest thing right now seemed to be his sassy answers to everything you said. You were not sure you could endure that for too long, before snapping.

“Ki-Hyun,” you said almost breathlessly, as you listened to how the name sounded. It was beautiful just like the man next to you,

Before you even know it, he was already in the driver’s sit, getting ready to turn the engine on.

“Get on,” he said, looking at you invitingly.

You didn’t really have a choice, since the magical sparkle in his eyes was drawing you into accepting his invitation, so you just went to the front passenger seat next to him and got on the car as you both took off. It was pointless to try to avoid this dangerous attraction.

* * *

As he was driving to God knows where, you remembered to ask him a question which may or may not be sarcastic, but you really wanted to know the answer no matter what.

“Do wendigos even know how to drive?” you asked mockingly.

You knew he was a person, when he wasn’t in his wendigo form and he had just the normal human abilities like every other person.

“Don’t tease me or you’re going to regret it. I’m still hungry, you know.”

“You said you wanted a burrito, not a human. And what happened to your diet and your promise? You said you won’t hurt me. After all, I’m too pretty to be the person who satisfies your hunger. It was your words, not mine,” you decided to quote his words. You were starting to feel really comfortable in his company and you had mixed feelings about that.

“I have to admit that’s right, sweetheart. But I didn’t promise anything. I could change my mind any time,” he answered. He was not going to let you insult him like this.

“No, you can’t,” you stated confidently.

“And why is that?” he raised his eyebrows in clear confusion.

“Because I’m so pretty right now and I don’t plan on becoming less pretty any time soon. That’s why you can’t hurt me.”

“Are all humans that annoying, or is it just you?” he asked in astonishment.

“Are all wendigos that self-centered or is it your own fault?”

You seemed to always have a proper comeback to everything and that really irritated Kihyun. He wanted to be the winner even verbally, without having to use his special powers to convince you. He sighed, while keeping his eyes on the road. What was still unknown to you was the fact that you were starting to get under his skin too but there was no way he could let it show that soon.

Around less than 20 minutes later, you got in front of a diner, which had neon lights, used for text signs. Kihyun and you got off the car and you walked in. The interior surprised you even more – it looked like the typical American movie cliché. Not that you minded it though; the creature you were with right now could make any place and any activity feel like something exciting.

You sat on the sofas which were opposite one another, with a table between them, as the waiter came and left menus for you two.

“So… What do you want to eat? It’s my treat,” Kihyun mentioned and you quirked your eybrows.

“You can’t be serious! Wendigos have money?!” you acted surprised just to irritate him and he really tried hard to act as if it wasn’t getting to him.

But you could make him feel anything you wanted: whether it was sadness or happiness. If only you had known that, you definitely would have used it to your advantage.

“Then I guess I’ll pay only for myself. Thank you for saving me money,” Kihyun answered with clear irritation in his voice.

“But I want free food,” you pouted, trying to think of a way to convince him to change his mind.

“And I want to be respected.”

“I respect you. I really, really respect you,” you said, looking him in the eyes.

It was a bad choice, though. Every time you looked at those eyes you got lost in them. They were capable of making you lose every type of game or sassy remarks exchange you and Kihyun had. You couldn’t fight it anymore. You just couldn’t stay away from him. Even if you tried, you always found yourself back at the start; it was a meaningless attempt to run away from your real feelings. He was holding you captive using his exotic charm and now you weren’t sure you wanted to escape anymore.

When the waiter came to take your orders, you cleared your throat, as you averted your gaze, so that you were no longer staring into Kihyun and you got ready to speak, but you were cut off.

“… And french fries with a strawberry milkshake for the lady.”

The waiter wrote down this bizarre combination of food and drink as he gave both Kihyun and you a confused look, before getting back to work.

“Who drinks strawberry milkshake while eating french fries?” you looked at him with no less confusion than the waiter.

“Definitely looks like your style.” He locked eyes with you, making you unable to look away.

You were literally connected to his eyes by invisible but very strong strings that you could not detach from yourself. That didn’t stop you from looking for a way, though.

“I’ve noticed that you like some very unusual things.”

By the confidence in his voice and by his knowing look, you could tell he definitely knew what kind of an impact he had on you. And the unusual thing he meant was him. Stating that you liked unusual things was just a code for saying you liked him and he was quite aware of this fact.

“But don’t worry. I like people who enjoy unusual things,” he said with a small smile, while he tried to make his voice sound even huskier.

But he didn’t need to do that, since even if he was not trying, his voice was already husky enough to drive you completely crazy. Did he mean he liked you? You were unsure of what his real purpose was, but you still liked what he was doing to you.

After your food and drinks were served, you just had diner in silence. He tried to look at you a couple of times, but you were desperately avoiding his gaze.

“When I go home, I have to leave all the wendigo stuff here and forget everything that happened”, you thought as you took a sip from your strawberry milkshake.

Actually french fries and strawberry milkshake were really a nice combination for you, just as Kuhyun predicted. No matter what he said earlier, he still payed for your food too. When you went back to the village, he parked your car at the same place where you were earlier. You took your phone to look at the time: it was 4:30 am and you were surprised. You suddenly remembered everything that happened tonight. This seemed like such a long time in your mind, but it was actually only a couple of hours? How could you get scared, fall in love with a supernatural creature and eat dinner in that small amount of time? As you both got off the car, you finally let him look you in the eyes.

“Is this how we part ways?” he asked, sounding just as desperate to meet you again, as you were about meeting him.

He tried to hide that through fake coughing, but he couldn’t deceive you; you already knew his real feelings, even though when you first met him, you weren’t sure he was capable of feeling anything.

“We… We don’t have to,” you said with a shaking voice.

Why couldn’t you let him go, when that was the most reasonable thing to do?

“No, you know what? I really have to go. I can’t do that, Kihyun… I just… Goodbye,” you whispered, looking at his hypnotic eyes, trying to remember them.

They made you fall into a trance that you didn’t want to exit. When you finally succeeded to look away, you turned and you started walking to your hut. Your eyes were shining because of the tears that were starting to form in then, but you couldn’t let this stop you in any way. As you started walking even faster, you felt someone grabbing your wrist, making you turn to look at them. You knew it was Kihyun, yet you were still surprised. You opened your mouth to protest, but he made you stop by pressing his lips to yours in a long kiss that you didn’t want to ever end. When he took a step back from your body, you found yourself missing his warm lips that were making you forget all about the cold winter. Without saying anything more, you took his hand and you started walking to your hut. When you got there, you connected your lips to his again, but this time it was a heated kiss, the type that left you breathless and wanting more.

You felt his fingertips caress your skin, making you shiver under his dangerous but addicting touch. The feeling was indescribable, even though his body was usually cold, his touch somehow made you burn. Instead of making you cold, it made you feel warm – hot even. You buried your fingers in his dark hair, trying to keep him close enough to you. You knew this was wrong, but he had you under his spell. He was a sin you couldn’t get enough of.

#kihyun #monstax #monsta-x #happyraiday #happy birthday mom #i really love u sm #🥺#i hope you enjoy it #and i hope you had an amazing birthday

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chrysalispen · 4 years

Text

xii. a little grief, grappling your chest,

this was broken into multiple parts for length, the next will be posted probably sunday

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After the final prisoner had taken her leave, a strained silence had descended upon the assembly. Each set of questing eyes offered tentative glances at their fellows, unsure what to say, or if anything needed to be said at all.

Then Raubahn's shoulders dropped, the tension flowing out of his body as a wry smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Well," he said mildly. "That was... certainly a show of spirit, wasn't it? Wouldn't have thought a slip of a girl like that would have the fire for that sort of temper. Not after a near moon spent in that hole."

"Don't you? I've met enough of her kind to think otherwise," Merlwyb groused, her tone sour. "Too proud by half for their own good, the whole miserable bloody race. We could send her to the gallows or a firing squad on the morrow and she knew it, and still had the nerve to speak out of turn."

"I doubt it was gall so much as anger. We did falsely accuse her, after all."

She scowled at him.

"Navigator's teeth, Raubahn, don't tell me you're actually defending an imperial prisoner."

"...That's stretching things a touch," he said, tapping the surface of the table with his index finger. And it was, though in truth he was full glad to see his first impression of the Garlean girl had been inaccurate. He could respect an enemy with some spirit. "Right, well, at the moment we've only one other who seems willing to work with us and that's the engineer lad, Albinus jen Marsyas. Witness statement was fairly unremarkable."

"We didn't expect much from any of this lot in the first place," Merlwyb snorted, though with no real rancor. None of them had particularly been in the mood to pore over the character accounts of people whom they were well aware would likely not be amenable to the Alliance's terms.

The Seedseer lifted a slender hand.

"Floor's yours, Kan-E-Senna."

"Thank you, General. First I should like to point out that each of the statements we received did confirm the prisoner's account of events. In addition, Commodore Sleittidin's testimony also confirmed that she is a chirurgeon as she claims. That had been somewhat in question originally if you'll recall-"

"Speaking of which," Merlwyb interjected with a fierce scowl, "what in all the hells were you thinking, Loezwyrn?"

The man winced at the displeasure writ large on his Admiral's face.

"I'd thought to keep my peace unless it became necessary otherwise, ma'am, but reading those accounts-"

"If you needed to recuse yourself then the time to say so was before the hearing began, not in the bleeding middle. To make no mention of the theatrics before a prisoner? You are an officer of the Maelstrom, not a mummer."

"Let it go," Raubahn said. "We'll mark the Commodore's abstention from the decision on the court record. Seedseer, if you have aught to add, please continue."

"I think it unjust to place a heavy sentence upon a noncombatant. Her only real crime appears to have been enlistment in the legions rather than conscription. She could well have held her tongue and kept her healing skills to herself, yet she did not. She has to the best of my knowledge made but a single personal request since her arrival at the Spire, and it was to see the other prisoners well cared for."

"You make her sound almost saintly," he said with a short laugh.

"I hardly think her to be anything so lofty as that, but it would be foolish of us not to make use of skills that she has freely offered to the Alliance - be they in exchange for her life or no. Whatever is ultimately decided about the others," she finished quietly, "I want this one. I will treat with the elementals to make room for her if needs must."

"Yes, but for what?"

"There are any number of folk that would benefit from her presence." Kan-E-Senna's patient smile carried the air of someone who thought she had just been asked an inane question indeed, but had graciously decided not to make mock of it. "The Conjurers' Guild, for example."

"Conjury?" Merlwyb sputtered incredulously. "You want to make a conjurer of a Garlean?"

"Perhaps, and perhaps not. Time will tell."

"Garleans don't have a scrap of ability to use magic, Seedseer. Not a one of them can lay a finger to their own aether, that's why they've all the machina in the first place. She'd be of absolutely no use to anyone expecting her to be, well, a conjurer."

"Though this is neither the time nor the place to explain to you why, that is not quite true nor is it accurate," she said. "Frankly, even were it the unvarnished truth this is the decision I have made and I mean to stand by it. I want the Garlean girl. I will not withdraw the request."

They all stared at her. Kan-E-Senna stared back, calm and impassive, and no one could hold her gaze for more than a few moments before looking away. Lifting her chin so her voice would carry farther across the room, she continued as if the argument had never taken place.

"In any case, circumstances being what they are, I move that we extend clemency in this case and consider commutation."

"Motion acknowledged." Raubahn idly tapped the toe of his leather sandal against the edge of the table. "Do we have a move to second?"

"Well do you know my opinion of the whole damned affair, General Aldynn," Merlwyb said. After a moment she added, somewhat grudgingly: "...That said, I take the Seedseer's point. We are all going to be in dire need of those with healing knowledge in very short order. As low a bar as that is, it's still more than we've got out of most of her fellows. I mislike the notion of trusting to the integrity of any imperial, but-"

"As a friendly reminder, Master Garlond also hails from the Empire," Kan-E-Senna pointed out gently, "and he has ever served as a faithful ally to our cause."

Merlwyb did not smile. Her already stony expression took on an even darker cast, the corners of her mouth tight with suppressed anger.

"Cid Garlond? Aye, he was a good man," she acknowledged. "For all the precious little bloody good his loyalty to us did him in the end, the poor bastard. They've not yet recovered his body, either, so I hear."

They all sat in solemn silence for a moment, reminded of yet another casualty of the Empire's seemingly endless ambition and greed.

"...Anyroad, if you want to give this girl a chance I suppose there are worse candidates." She shook her head and laid her quill alongside her stack of papers. "We'll see how long it takes her to balk at the terms of the sentence, but that'll be her problem, not ours. Aye, I'll second Kan-E-Senna's motion to commute the sentence."

"That's a move and a second. Show of hands?"

At first Raubahn Aldynn thought they might refuse after all, now that the choice was before them. The reminder of their friend and ally Cid Garlond, missing for weeks, the last sighting of the master engineer that of him and his beloved Enterprise set afire by Bahamut's flames and off-course to crash somewhere into the depths of the forest, seemed to have sobered the mood of the room considerably.

But one by one, with varying states of reluctance, each of their hands raised aloft - save the Commodore, who had abstained as promised.

Slowly, he nodded, raised the gavel, and brought it down upon the wooden surface. May the Twelve forgive us.

"Motion passes unanimously."

Seeing the matter settled for all intents and purposes, Merlwyb glanced down the table. "Your plan is far from foolproof, you know. It's still possible she could betray you to her Empire at the first opportunity."

The warmth of Kan-E-Senna's answering smile was like spring sunlight filtered through leaves.

"I'm well aware she could, Admiral," the Padjal said. "But from all I've heard of her thus far, I think she won't."

~*~

Heedless of the murmurings of the others in their cells, Aurelia coughed and let her head fall back against damp stone with a dull thud. There was the sound of something scurrying in the rushes mere fulms away and she decided she would have more peace of mind did she not attempt to investigate it. She had enough on her mind as it was.

The waiting, she decided, was worse than anything. Worse than the moments surrounding her capture, worse than the last moon of imprisonment, worse even than the tension of that hearing. She could deal with the Eorzeans' spite towards her, bureaucratic or otherwise, feeling it was little more than what she and the rest of her fellows deserved if one came down to it.

But she had no idea if she'd even be drawing breath by this time tomorrow and the anxiety was beginning to wear on her.

She had a pounding headache in addition to everything else, and when she touched a hand to her brow she found it as warm as she'd expected. There was a twinge of unease as Aurelia's fingers brushed her third eye, but she ignored it. There was precious little in the range of its perception that was relevant. Depending on what was to happen, upon whether or not she'd even be alive this time on the morrow, a bit of momentary discomfort was nothing.

She didn't even jump at the rattle of the bars or the rasp of the key in its lock. She'd known it was coming. The Eorzeans had made their decision, it seemed, and rather quickly.

"It's time," the guard began, then with a frown illuminated by the torch on the wall: "You taken ill? You look about to drop stone dead."

Aurelia only shrugged. The guard was correct, of course. But she had been running on low-level terror for so long that she had all but forgotten how to slow down or rest and she could not well afford to stop now. It meant she'd paid little enough attention to her physical state; even her leg, which now ached as much as she'd thought it would after that display, remained little more than background noise.

The guard grabbed her crutches and held them out when she didn't move.

"Out with you," he said. "They're askin' to speak with you and you don't keep folk like them waiting. Come on."

The journey up the staircase and towards that room was, of course, the same length it had ever been. But it seemed somehow to stretch for days while also bringing her to her likely doom with a terrifying swiftness. Step by step, inexorable, almost against her will.

You are a daughter of Garlemald, she reminded herself. Garleans do not cower from a foul end or an uncertain future; we face whatever is to come with a cool head and a brave heart.

'You can choose to accept your fate, or defy it, but you cannot deny it.' That had been L'haiya's last piece of advice to her, right before Aurelia had left for the capitol, before her life had so drastically changed at the tender age of sixteen summers - and as ever, the memory brought with it a sharp twinge of regret. There was no time to dwell on it, however.

She squared her shoulders and straightened her back as best she could when the door opened.

Even so, her resolve was sorely tested when she stepped once more across the threshold. The man who had testified, the closest to a familiar face she had, was no longer present, and the neutral faces of the remaining five behind that table gave no indication as to what she might expect. Her heart began to beat faster.

The scarred Highlander gave her a mirthless smile, his lips thin and tilting in a lopsided way as she lowered her weight onto the rickety bench once again.

"Welcome back, Mistress Laskaris," he said, not without a small measure of kindness. "You're looking a bit pale. Are you ill or merely worried for yourself?"

"Only a fool or a saint would lack any sense of self-preservation whatsoever," Aurelia said quietly. "Perhaps I am a fool, but I am of a certainty no saint. I am full aware that my life is in your hands and I shall continue to draw breath at your pleasure. Thus, if you please, let us proceed."

At his side, the silver-haired Admiral raised an eyebrow but did not comment.

"Well-spoken," was the Ala Mhigan's mild response. "I agree. Admiral Bloefhiswyn, if you would, the floor is yours."

The silver-haired Roegadyn woman at his side drew herself to her full height, and as if on cue all eyes fell upon her. Aurelia could well understand why. Even when she had dictated from her seat Admiral Bloefhiswyn had seemed to fair radiate a commanding presence, and it was even more evident now that she had been granted full authority over the upcoming proceedings.

"We have come to a decision regarding the matter of your sentence, as I am certain you have surmised. Should you be amenable to our terms as they are presented with no alteration, we vow to abide by any bargain we make with you. You understand, of course, that your unconditional surrender to Maelstrom forces upon the battlefield precludes any further negotiation of terms on your own part."

She glanced at each face. The Highlander looked upon her with open pity, although the pretty green-eyed girl's smile had not wavered.

"I do," she said, in a voice that by some miracle did not waver. "Let's have your terms, then."

The air in the room seemed to chill a few degrees with a single arch of the woman's right eyebrow.

"You don't mince words, do you, girl? Very well."

That flat silver gaze was hostile, unswerving, and enough to nearly unnerve the source of its ire for all that the Admiral's tone remained utterly neutral as she spoke. Aurelia's hands knotted together painfully, knuckles white and shining and her nails digging into the meat of her palms.

"Aurelia jen Laskaris, it is the decision of the court," the Admiral continued, "that your conflicting loyalties notwithstanding, it would be unwise to waste a potential asset insofar as your healing skills are concerned. You were not among those who masterminded Project Meteor nor have you attempted at any time to escape or to cause harm to any of our personnel since your capture."

Get on with it, she wanted to scream, but instead forced herself to sit stone still and ramrod straight, her expression a placid mask.

"Under Eorzean common law you would customarily be sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison or an equivalent amount of time in hard labor. However, the recommendation given to this court, upon advisement from multiple of our own number - including one of our own adjudicators who has since recused himself from further involvement - is that your sentence be commuted to five years of public service."

She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, though it caused her a series of painful coughs, and felt the tension flow out of her body as her posture sagged forward with a combination of exhaustion and relief. The latter seemed to course through her like a remedy for a blissful few seconds of awareness before it was replaced by a fresh wave of apprehension.

Boons like these did not come without strings attached, after all.

"With immediate effect, upon your departure from the Emerald Spire you will be transported to the city-state of Gridania, where you shall be remanded to the wardship of the Hearers' Council on behalf of the Grand Company of the Twin Adder, and set to a labor of their choosing. After five years served the particulars of your case shall come under review."

Gridania. She vaguely knew the place, for all that knowledge was limited to outdated maps from her father's old study.

"In order to accept this offer of clemency in full, you are to formally renounce your imperial citizenship. You will be barred from making any attempt to return to Garlemald on your own power, so long as you live. Should you be discovered to have made contact with any agent of the Empire for this reason, your life will be forfeit."

Aurelia squeezed her eyes shut.

So, that was the catch, it would seem. She'd live, but it would be a life spent in exile, on the condition that she never see her homeland again.

She could throw the Eorzeans' offer back in their faces and refuse, and the thought was initially a tempting one. But she was quite certain she would die if she did that- and she knew in her heart of hearts that the strange vision she had seen in the camp, the conversation between Bryn and Sazha, was something that had actually transpired. If it was real, that meant Sazha had spent his last days attempting to buy her a second chance, risking his own reputation in the process.

Alea iacta est, Aurelia, she told herself. For better or worse. You are left to your own devices now. No home, and no country.

And with that thought her next words fell heavy from her tongue:

"I accept your terms."

All of them, even the girl, looked surprised, clearly not having expected her to acquiesce without some sort of token resistance.

She didn't listen to anything else that was said after that, instead staring down at her hands as the enormity of the Eorzeans' unilateral terms and what they meant in a more personal sense began to sink in. She'd never realize any of her girlhood dreams, she'd never see any of her professors or old schoolmates in the capitol again, she'd have to give up her ambition of a fledgling medical practice brought to the far-flung corners of the Empire.

And her family -- Gens Laskaris would disavow any knowledge that she had ever darkened its halls. To be taken prisoner in battle was one thing - and shameful enough as far as they would be concerned - but to deliberately defect? That was akin to spitting upon the floors of the Imperial Palace before the Emperor's throne, turning one's back upon the unity of empire and country, and openly declaring oneself a traitor.

I'll never see Ala Mhigo again, either, she thought. I meant to visit at least once after my service was done, and now- never.

Aurelia felt herself flinch from the sting that realization brought with it.

None of this would have happened had she not so fervently wished for her independence. She knew that in part it was her own inner restlessness and sense of wanderlust that had led her to this, and a part of her hated herself for it, for knowing she could never have been happy with the life that her uncle - and her mother and father, to some lesser extent - had laid out for her since her childhood.

Would that she had been born in some other part of the star, she thought sadly. Would that she could be a woman of some other heritage and of humbler means with naught to her name that any man would covet, nor any family who would see her as a glorified brood mare with a bloodline to be bargained as collateral for their personal ambitions.

But wishing would not make it so. The past could not be altered and she must needs accept the consequences of her choices. If the end result of that choice was defection and exile, then her course was set.

And Sazha - Sazha had wanted her to survive. He had told his second-in-command to see to it that she would not end her sojourn to the south with a noose about her neck. To throw her life away after she knew he had gone to such lengths to try and save it would not only be foolish, it would be an insult to his memory, and she wouldn't see any efforts on her behalf wasted.

But the hard lump that had seemed to form in the back of her throat lingered, no matter how much she tried to reason with herself.

#chrysalispen writes #reborn by fire #chapter 12 #this ended up being way longer than i expected screams

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aliceviceroy · 6 years

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1. Spirituality for dummies.

If your thinking is mired in shame and guilt (with perhaps a twist of drug abuse or suicidal thinking), then subscribing to a religion can help you climb to a higher level of awareness. Your mindset, however, still remains incredibly dysfunctional; you’ve merely swapped one form of erroneous thinking for another.

For reasonably intelligent people who aren’t suffering from major issues with low self-esteem, religion is ridiculously consciousness-lowering. While some religious beliefs can be empowering, on the whole the decision to formally participate in a religion will merely burden your mind with a hefty load of false notions.

When you subscribe to a religion, you substitute nebulous group-think for focused, independent thought.

3. Engineered obedience training.

Religions are authoritarian hierarchies designed to dominate your free will. They’re power structures that aim to convince you to give away your power for the benefit of those who enjoy dominating people. Religions don’t market themselves as such, but this is essentially how they operate.

Religions are very effective at turning human beings into sheep. They’re among the most powerful instruments of social conditioning. They operate by eroding your trust in your own intellect, gradually convincing you to put your trust into some external entity, such as a deity, prominent figure, or great book...Simply by convincing you to give your power away to something outside yourself, religion will condition you to be weaker, more docile, and easier to control. Religions actively promote this weakening process as if it were beneficial, commonly branding it with the word faith. What they’re actually promoting is submission.

Religions strive to fill your head with so much nonsense that your only recourse is to bow your head in submission, often quite literally. Get used to spending a lot of time on your knees because acts of submission such as bowing and kneeling are frequently incorporated into religious practice. Canine obedience training uses similar tactics.

Have you ever wondered why religious teachings are invariably mysterious, confusing, and internally incongruent? This is no accident by the way — it’s quite intentional.

By putting forth confusing and internally conflicting information, your logical mind (i.e. your neocortex) is overwhelmed. You try in vain to integrate such contradictory beliefs, but it can’t be done. The net effect is that your logical mind disengages because it can’t find a pattern of core truth beneath all the nonsense, so without the help of your neocortex, you devolve to a more primitive (i.e. limbic) mode of thinking. You’re taught that this faith-based approach is a more spiritual and conscious way to live, but in reality it’s precisely the opposite. Getting you to distrust your own cerebral cortex actually makes you dumber and easier to manipulate and control. Karl Marx was right when he said, “Religion is the opiate of the people.”

For example, the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Bible frequently contradict each other with various rules of conduct, yet both are quoted during mass. Church leaders also behave in direct violation of the Church’s teachings, such as by covering up criminal and immoral activities by their own priests. Those who try to mentally process such glaring contradictions as coherent truth invariably suffer for it. A highly conscious person would reject membership in such an organization as patently ridiculous. So-called divine mysteries are engineered to be incomprehensible. You aren’t meant to ever make sense of them since that would defeat the whole purpose. When you finally wake up and realize it’s all B.S., you’ve taken the first step towards freedom from this oppressive system.

The truth is that so-called religious authorities don’t know any more about spirituality than you do. However, they know how to manipulate your fear and uncertainty for their own benefit.

Although the most popular religions are very old, L. Ron Hubbard proved the process can be replicated from scratch in modern times. As long as there are large numbers of people who fear the responsibility of their own power, religions will continue to dominate the landscape of human development.

If you want to talk to God, then communicate directly instead of using third-party intermediaries. Surely God has no need of an interpreter.

5. Support your local pedophile.

In addition to being a serious waste of time, religious practice can also be a huge waste of money.

For starters when you donate to a major religion, you support its expansion, which means you’re facilitating the enslavement of your fellow humans. That isn’t very nice, now is it? If you feel the urge to donate money, give it to a real and honorable cause, not a fabricated one.

Religions offer a suite of special services to generate additional income. They’ll spout some gibberish while feeding you a crusty wafer, pronounce you bonded to a fellow human being, snip some of your excess skin, pour water on your head, proclaim your manhood, cast out your demons, pronounce your transgressions forgiven, and so on. When they can’t think of anything else, they make up some drivel like confirming you’re still loyal to them. The bill may read “suggested donation,” but it’s still a bill.

When you donate money to a religious organization, you’re doing much worse than throwing your money away. You’re actively funding evil. If you think that spending a billion dollars to defend pedophiles and rapists is a good use of your hard-earned cash, perhaps you should run for Pope. You could hardly do worse. At least Wall Street is honest about its greed and lust.

One of my Catholic high school teachers was later revealed to be a repeat child molester… written up in the newspaper and everything. I didn’t see any suspicious behavior at the time, and to be totally honest, I actually liked that teacher and was shocked to learn of his extracurricular activities. He was shuffled from one location to another by those who knew about his appetite for young flesh. I’m glad I wasn’t on the menu, but I feel sad for those who were. Methinks God should raise his standards… just a tad.

Why aren’t Catholic priests allowed to marry? This has nothing to do with what’s written in the Bible or with any benefits of celibacy. This rule was invented by the Church to prevent their priests from producing heirs. When the priests died, their property would go back to the Church, thereby enriching the rich even more. Apparently God needed more cash. It was a very effective policy, as the Church is now among the richest and most powerful organizations on earth. It’s hard to fail when you have a loyal force of lifetime indentured servants who work cheaply and then yield their life savings to you when they die.

Lay religious people (i.e. non-clergy), on the other hand, are encouraged to have lots of babies because that means more people are born into the religion, which means more money and a bigger power base. Condoms are a big no-no; they’re bad for business. Marriage is a big yes; it means more brainwashed babies will be made.

Would you seriously consider this sort of structure a “good cause” worthy of your hard-earned cash?

7. Idiocy or hypocrisy – pick one.

When you subscribe to an established religion, you have only two options. You can become an idiot, or you can become a hypocrite. If you’ve already chosen the former, I’ll explain why, and I’ll use small words so that you’re sure to understand.

First, there’s the idiocy route. You can willingly swallow all of the contrived, man-made drivel that’s fed to you. Accept that the earth is only 10,000 years old. Believe stories about dead bodies coming back to life. Learn about various deities and such. Put your trust in someone who thinks they know what they’re talking about. Eat your dogma. Good boy!

Congratulations! You’re a moron believer. You’ll be saved, enlightened, and greeted with tremendous fanfare when you die… unless of course all the stuff you were taught turns out not to be true. Nah… if the guy in the robe says it’s true, it must be true. Ya gotta have faith, right?

Next, we have the hypocrisy option. In this case your neocortex is strong enough to identify various bits of utter nonsense in the religious teachings that others are trying to ram down your throat. You have a working B.S. detector, but it’s slightly damaged. You’re smart enough to realize that earth is probably a lot older than 10,000 years and that pre-marital (or non-marital) sex is a lot of fun, but some B.S. still gets through. You don’t swallow all the bull, but you still identify yourself as a follower of a particular religion, most likely because you were raised in it and never actually chose it to begin with.

To you it’s just a casual pursuit. You’re certainly not a die-hard fundamentalist, but you figure that if you drink the wine and chew the wafer now and then, it’s good enough to get you a free ride into a half-decent afterlife. You belong to the pro-God club. Surely there’s safety in numbers. Two people can’t be wrong… although 4-1/2 billion supposedly can.

In this case you become an apologist for your own religion. You don’t want to be identified with the extreme fanatics, nor do you want to be associated with the non-believers. You figure you can straddle both sides. On earth you’ll basically live as a non-practitioner (or a very sloppy and inconsistent practitioner), but when you eventually die, you’ve still got the membership card to show God.

Do you realize how deluded you are?

Perhaps if you have to throw out so much of the nonsense to make your chosen belief system palatable, you shouldn’t be drinking the Kool Aid in the first place. Free yourself from the mental baggage, stop looking to others for permission to live, and start thinking on your own. If your God exists, he’s smart enough to see through your fake ID.

8. Inherited falsehood.

Is your religion based on the inspired word of God? No more than this article. Just because someone says their text is divinely inspired doesn’t mean it is. Anyone can claim divine inspiration. The top religions are decided by popularity, not by truth.

Even the central figures in major religions didn’t follow the religions that were spawned in their names. If they didn’t swallow the prevailing “wisdom” about gods and spiritual leaders and such, why should you?

9. Compassion in chains.

Religious rules and laws invariably hamper the development of conscience. When you externalize compassion into a set of rules and laws, what you’re left with isn’t compassion at all. True compassion is a matter of conscious choice, and that requires the absence of force-backed rules and laws.

The more we collectively abandon all religion, the better off this planet will be. This doesn’t mean we have to abandon all spiritual pursuits. It just means we must stop turning spirituality into something it isn’t.

10. Faith is fear.

Religion is the systematic marketing of fear.

Blessed are the poor (donate heavily). Blessed are the meek (obey). Blessed are the humble (don’t question authority). Blessed are the hungry (make us rich while you starve). Blessed are the merciful (if you catch us doing something wrong, let it go). Blessed are the pure of heart (switch off your brain). Blessed are the timid, the cowardly, the fearful. Blessed are those who give us their power and become our slaves.

That’s the kind of nonsense religion pushes on people. They train you to turn your back on courage, strength, and conscious living. This is stupidity, not divinity.

Religion will teach you to fear being different, to fear standing up for yourself, and to fear being an independent thinker. It will erode your self-trust by explaining why you’re unable to successfully manage life on your own terms: You are unworthy. You’re a sinner. You’re unclean. You belong to a lesser caste. You are not enlightened. Of course the solution is always the same — submit to the will of an external authority. Believe that you’re inadequate. Give away your power. Follow their rules and procedures. Live in fear for the rest of your life, and hope it will all turn out okay in the end.

When you practice faith instead of conscious living, you live under a cloak of fear. Eventually that cloak becomes so habitual you forget it’s even there. It’s very sad when you reach the point where you can’t even remember what it feels like to wield creative freedom over your own life, independent of what you’ve been conditioned to believe.

Fear in one part of your life invariably spreads to all other parts — you can’t compartmentalize it. If you find yourself frustrated because you’re too afraid to follow your dreams, to talk to members of the opposite sex, to speak up for yourself, etc., then a good place to start is to rid your life of all religious nonsense. Don’t let fear get a foothold in your consciousness.

Stop trying to comfort yourself by swallowing religious rubbish. If you really need something to believe in, then believe in your own potential. Put your trust in your own intellect. Stop giving away your power.

Dump the safety-in-numbers silliness. Just because a lot of people believe stupid stuff doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. It just means that stupidity is popular on this planet. When people are in a state of fear, they’ll swallow just about anything to comfort themselves, including the bastion of stupidity known as religion.

*slightly edited*

#religion #ex christian #atheism #secular thinking #harsh tone but not untrue

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throwaninkpot · 7 years

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FMA AU Week, Day 7

Late posting of Day 3′s theme “AU where everything is the same but...”

...Dolcetto lives. Inspired by @strawbebehmod ‘s Guard Dog AU. I really didn’t know how to end this, and I think that shows. But I hope y’all enjoy! If liked it or have some critique, lemme know!

Warnings: off-screen deaths, blood mentions...and Greed says “pissant”, which I’m not entirely sure if it could be considered a bad word or not.

The funny thing was, Dolcetto hadn’t even been his real name. He had taken a new name after the transmutation, when he and the others were freed from the labs by Greed. As far as he knew, all of them had. (Some wanted to separate themselves from the lives they’d had before; some had forgotten their old names, anyway.)

Greed was indirectly to blame. He’d brought the rag-tag gaggle of chimeras into the building where they had set up camp before the Devil’s Nest, and while they all stood around uncertainly, he had jumped up to stand on a table.

“Alright, listen, some rules for my new possessions. Yes, you lot, who else is there?” He sighed as some of the group in front of him stopped craning their heads in search of the objects he had been addressing. “I don’t care who you were before or what kind of lives you lived. You’re mine now. This is your home, this is your life. No objections. Second, I don’t know what you eat, so one of you probably needs to make a grocery run.”

A new life. It made sense to pick a new name to with it; there would be no use in dragging something around that would only remind Dolcetto of something that was gone and over with. So when Greed asked his name, he lifted the word “Dolcetto” off of an alcohol bottle sitting on a counter, and didn’t look back.

And now here here was, on his third name. Tony Ramono. It would take some getting used to.

As an unspoken rule, all of them in Greed’s gang had never talked about the labs, except to joke. What else was there for them to do about it? It was laugh, or lose themselves dwelling on something they couldn’t change.

“At least the scientists gave us decent food,” one of them would complain, when it was Martel’s turn to cook dinner again.

Occasionally, there were bottomless promises of going back. They’d give twice what they’d gotten back to those scientists, those alchemists—the entire military, even. Mostly, it was Martel who did this. She never brought the notion up around Greed. They all knew the thought of taking on the government in retribution was ridiculous, a pipe-dream at best; Greed would have tried to pull it off.

Bido had liked to say that, since they’d hit rock bottom years ago, the only place they could go now was up. Right? Dolcetto used to laugh and chime in, “Yeah, nothin’ but good times ahead.”

Lies, all of it. Things could have most certainly become worse for them—and did, which Dolcetto knew all too well.

None of it had been worse than waking up and discovering all his friends had been killed.

The last thing he remembered was the facing off against that armor kid’s brother. It had been more of a challenge than he expected; the runt got a hit on him, and Dolcetto went flying back into the wall. He must have been knocked unconscious. Later, he was pulled awake by the scent of blood assaulting his nose. He bolted up, groaning at the pain the movement sent flooding through his head. The room around him was a wreck, with holes broken through the walls, and it had been abandoned.

When Dolcetto ventured out, following the smell, he found them. Roa. Ulchi. Martel. He might forget the sight, but the smell of their death would haunt him forever.

There were still soldiers up above their hideout. He could hear them—discussing the raid, complaining about having to gather all the dead up and burn the bodies.

Dolcetto wanted to attack them, kill them, desperately wanted to seek revenge for his friends, but he was in no condition for that. He could barely walk without emptying his stomach from the pain in his head and the stench. The gash on his head was still bleeding, adding more blood to what covered the left side of his face.

So he fled. “Like a dog with your tail between your legs,” he almost heard Martel taunt. He abandoned his friends’ bodies and ran and hid like the coward he was.

The East had its perks.

It was sheep country, mainly, and of little interest to the higher machinations of the government and military. It’s quiet hills and villages made for a good place to lay low and stay over-looked.

When Tony Ramono, an immigrant from Aerugo, moved into a small town, there was only a small stir of attention from the people of the town. He was a newcomer, which made him interesting, but there was no suspicion or danger in their gazes.

Dolcetto found work easily enough. It was shearing season, and help was in high demand. He took odd jobs, here and there, and then a position watching one farmer’s flock.

A shepherd. If Greed and the others could have seen him, they would have never let him live that down. While he was in the hills, he imagined all the ribbing they would have given him—Martel very seriously asking if he had sheep dogs in his heritage, Greed grinning and shooting off herding commands to him. They would have been unbearable and irritating, and Dolcetto would have given anything to hear them tease him.

He tried not to think about that. He focused on his job, on his day to day life. And he liked the job well enough, and there were surely worse towns he could have chosen to live in. So Dolcetto kept his head down, did his job, and got by. He wasn’t sure what else he intended to do besides that—getting by, surviving. What was there for him to do? Of course, there was the option of seeking revenge on the military for the raid at the Devil’s Nest. He could find the ones who killed his friends. He certainly wouldn’t live to enjoy that satisfaction, but it would mean something for his loyalty, to go out in a blaze of vengeance like that.

When he thought about that, Dolcetto was never sure whether he was actually considering that possibility or not.

On the way home one day, making his way through the crowd of the market, his nose caught a whiff of something. It’s familiar. A scent he knows, but...it’s distorted, somehow. Mingled with the scent of someone else—someone unfamiliar—so that it was almost covered up. Dolcetto must have been crazy, and yet—and yet, it almost reminded him of…

He couldn’t help himself. He veered off hi path, following his nose. It lead him further into the market, down another street, and out the other end of an alleyway. A man in a long dark coat stood with his back to Dolcetto, and it was from him that the scent came.

Dolcetto hesitated. The man certainly didn’t look like him. He was tall, slender, and wore his long hair pulled up in a ponytail.

Cautiously, he took a step towards the stranger.

Before he could take another, the stranger had stiffened and then turned around to face him. His eyes met Dolcetto’s—and narrowed.

Dolcgetto didn’t see the stranger move, only felt the push of a hand against his collar, and the pain of hitting the hard stone wall when he was shoved back into the alley he had just stepped out of. He sucked in a choked gasp.

The stranger’s hand gripped the fabric of his shirt at the neck, and growled at him, “What are you doing here? You think this is funny, Envy? You think you can get to me?”

Dolcetto raised his hands and tugged at the man’s arm, in an attempt to free himself. “Wha—“

“Well, it won’t work!” the man hissed. “I’ll kill you myself. I’ll crush your Stone under my shoe, and then we’ll see how you like that.”

“Not Envy!” Dolcetto gasped out. “I’m not a homunculous!”

He knew about the Homunculi. Greed had explained to all of them about his “siblings” and Father, in case any of them ever would have come looking for trouble.

The hand suddenly released Dolcetto, and the man took a step back. He stared at Dolcetto for a long moment.

Then, he spoke again. “Dolcetto?”

The man knew his name. The man knew Dolcetto’s name, knew about homunculi, wore Greed’s scent…. Dolcetto stared at him, bewildered.

The man shook his head and let out a laugh. “What are you doing here?” he repeated himself from earlier, in a very different tone. A disbelieving smile slipped across his face. “You...you chimeras are a real pesky bunch, you know. I can’t do anything to get rid of you.”

Dolcetto thought, distantly, through the fog of disbelief, that it almost sounded like the man was fighting tears. The man continued to talk, but Dolcetto couldn’t hear what the man was saying. He was caught staring at the strange face wearing a familiar grin.

“Greed?” he asked hoarsely.

Greed laughed again. “Who else, genius?”

A concerned look passed over his face when Dolcetto continued gaping at him. “Hey, you okay?”

“How? You’re not...but...you are? Uhh?”

“Huh?”

“Not dead?” Dolcetto managed.

“Oh. Ha, as if I’d let those pissants keep me down. This is the new and improved Greed!”

His thoughts tumbled in his head, as Dolcetto tried to fight this new reality with his memories of the death in the Devil’s Nest. They’d been dead. He’d smelled the death and blood—but here was Greed, well and alive and in a new body, somehow, but alive nevertheless. Could the others…. No. He’d seen their bodies. (Not Greed’s body, though, Dolcetto realized with a start.)

Greed said something. Still lost in his thoughts, Dolcetto didn’t catch it, and he startled when Greed turned around and started walking away, back to the street.

Dolcetto stared dumbly after him.

Over his shoulder, still walking, Greed called, “You coming?”

Dolcetto trailed after, as Greed lead him through town, to a small hovel of a hotel at the edge of the buildings. It wasn’t the sort of place he would have expected Greed to willingly stay in.

Inside, he was brought to a room with two other people. Even before Greed introduced them as chimeras, Dolcetto knew what they were. They had that animal smell about them.

“So here’s the new member of my group. You’re all chimeras, so you should get along, right?”

Dolcetto folded his arms and eyed the two, who did the same to him. “Dolcetto,” he said, inclining his head a little in introduction.”

“Heinkel.”

“Darius.”

“Great,” Greed said, “we’re all friends. Hey, where’d that kid go?”

Before either Darius or Heinkel could answer, the door to the room swung open. Dolcetto spun around, half reaching for the swords he still expected to find on his back. In the doorway stood a young with bright gold hair, who Dolcetto easily recognized.

“You,” he exclaimed, and then realized that Whashisname Elric (Al? Alfred?) had said the same thing.

“You’re one of those jerks who kidnapped Al!” the kid all but shouted, glaring at him

(So Al wasn’t his name.)

“You mean that armor kid?” Dolcetto asked, glancing at Greed. Greed was no help; he was trying to get past the two chimeras who were blocking the phone, arguing about ordering room service. “What are you even doing here?”

“Me? What are you doing here?

Dolcetto cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “I...don’t even know.” He looked back up to find himself under the scrutinizing gaze of Elric’s disconcertingly golden eyes.

“I thought you were...” the kid trailed off.

“Listen, I’ll explain what’s happened to me, if you tell me what in Amestris is going on here,” Dolcetto offered, desperately wanting to understand. He cursed again. “I don’t even know how Greed is still alive.”

The Elric kid let out a short, half-hearted laugh. “Sure. It’s a deal.”

Between discovering Greed was alive, learning that soon the entire country would have their souls sucked from them through a giant alchemic transmutation, and the general way his life had been turned upside down in the last two hours, Dolcetto thought he was handling things well.

“Hey, don’t go passing out! If you fall, I’m not rushing over to catch you.”

“I’m fine,” Dolcetto mumbled. “Just...need a second.”

He lifted himself from where he was bent over, hands on his knees, to peer up at the Elric-Fullmetal-whateverhisname kid. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

Elric shrugged. “You should meet Ling, but that’ll have to wait until you’re not gonna faint from shock.”

Dolcetto tried not to be worried about who this “Ling” character might be. He shook his head. “Okay. Whatever.”

He reached for the bottle Greed had ordered after he won the argument for room service, and poured himself a glass. He offered Elric one as well, but the kid shook his head.

“So...you really think this will work? Taking on Father and his cronies?”

Sighing, Elric said, “Look. I know Greed’s just taken it for granted that you’re going to join us…. But, you really don’t have to stick around. This is going to be the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done—and that says something. And…no, I don’t even know if it will work. I don’t know.”

The kid was speaking around it, like he was afraid to say the words out loud, but Dolcetto could hear what he meant clearly. We’re probably all going to die.

He considered for a moment. His eyes wandered around the room, falling on Greed where he still stood arguing with the other two chimeras. “No, I’m in,” he said.

Greed was the only thing he had left. Not quite the same Greed, but it was still him. And as crazy and doomed as their plans for this Promised Day thing might be, if it meant a chance at saving the world and taking down the rotten monsters responsible for everything—everything—then there was no way Dolcetto could walk away.

#fmaauweek2017 #fma #fullmetal alchemist #fmab #fma greed #dolcetto #greedling #guard dog au #edward elric #heinkel #darius #fic #my writing #inky makes things #everyone kept wanting to curse #and I had to slap them and go nope #not in my fic you don't

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2gameprince · 7 years

Text

Atticus McKnight & The Fountain Of Youth

So, there I was. On some sorry excuse for a cruise ship and floating with a crew of three men off the coast of Madagascar. We had spent the afternoon testing cranes and different devices that were to aid us in the retrieval of a subterranean monolith, not too far below the sea’s surface. Within that monolith lied a hollowed box. A ruined treasure which had fallen from the storage of an old cargo ship. Treasure that was to be buried on Madagascar back in the old 1800’s. Though our presence there did hint at the continued existence of this treasure’s stationary status, I must say, I did doubt our endeavor for a moment or two. That was until the cranes pulled up a great big stone in the shape of a box. There to crack open the stone alongside me were my colleagues, Cole Sanford, crooked lawyer-extraordinaire, Walter Harris, fellow treasure hunter and master tracker, and Taylor Morgan, machinery expert. I was the good luck charm of the group; Atticus McKnight, master treasure hunter, mercenary, pirate in some cases. Normally I would be off on these exploits all by my lonesome; but this job required extra hands. And I didn’t mind splitting the findings, as it was never money I had been after. I love the hunt for that which is believed to be undiscoverable. Money comes and money goes. But damn, if it ain’t nice to grab a break every now and again. It’s a simple fact of life. I worry not about my finances. Stupid systems of money and chaotic trash that’s meant to tie us down and keep us paying for the rich until we die. That kind of life would never work for me. And so, I refuse it. Stationed in Subic Bay, I served in the Navy and on a carrier which provided me with a few years of travel. Had I not decided to leave that life one night, I doubt I’d be were I am today. For it was a band of bootleggers, mercenaries and loot-hunters that swept me up one night and convinced me to join their brigade. All it took was one brawl in a drunken bar and this band of no-gooders was welcoming me with open arms. That was right after saving their leader’s ass from some local Pilipino law enforcement. That is, if you could call them that. From that night forward I deserted the army, travelled with the hunters for a while, until I learned how to go my own way. With everyone believing me to be dead, I only kept in contact with my brother, Edward, who currently holds some government position in Germany. The expeditions I embark upon fund the ones I go on later, with my money-accounts spread all across the globe and my earnings in every form of bill you could think of; I steal, I squander, but never more than I need. After all, this one life is all we got. I ain’t spending my time starving away, doing nothing. So, I am a villain to some. But, to those who know me, and they do, know me to be fair, as I believe all men should be. Now, returning to the subject of the excavation of that most fantastic monolith. Within it we did find a small black box preserved in it’s core. And within it was a map. Of course, it was no map any of us could read. With strange symbols and markings I’m sure no sane man would recognize. My first order of business was to get it over to London where my personal-coder, Theodore Cyril, could reconstruct it’s mapping. We headed for land immediately, eventually being cut off by some not-so-friendly ships, headed by a bastard with the name of Victor Logan. A treasure hunter, like myself, he was as evil as any villain and a rich pompous cocky little snot-nosed brat with hired muscle and an untamable greed. I should have suspected it before hand, but his men had trailed us to Madagascar and had gained knowledge of our exploits. It was all thanks to Taylor Morgan. The bastard mechanics-expert. After Logan took Walter, Cole and myself hostage, Taylor revealed his loyalties. He was to get in with us and contact Logan when we had pulled up the monolith containing the map. A map to the fountain of youth; Which is what this whole ordeal is about. Myself and my rivals have all swept the Earth in search of it, and with the approaching age it finally seemed doable. Alas, Walter revealed that he’d been approached by Logan and asked to join his expedition for the monolith; To which he refused, staying loyal only to me. Well, of course Logan had a problem with that. Now, here I stand, tied up with rocks around my ankles in a sack, next to the two greatest men I’ve ever know and about to be cast into the bottom of the sea. At the hands of a rich thieving pampered baboon, no doubt. Logan had taken the map and one by one he sent Cole, Walter and myself into the sea. Down we went, weighted by rocks, surly believing we would drown. Fortunately I always carry about seven to ten concealed blades on my person at all times. You can get farther with a knife than you can get with your fists. After freeing myself and my fellow left-for-dead crew-mates we floated a while back to the shore of Madagascar, just barley avoiding any unwanted attention from the hungry monstrosities beneath the sea. A while after that we waited upon the shore for a day or so. I always pre-stock areas around my locations of expedition with food, water and other necessities in the case of my getting stranded. As well, I inform my colleagues, outside of my endeavors, to send aid in the circumstances of my delayed return. My closest agent of aid, Michael Burton, I had informed to send help if my crew and I had not returned within the day. Sure enough, boats arrived around midnight and far after Logan and his crew had sunk us, looted our ship and made their way East. I relieved Walter and Cole of my company and attempted to hunt for this treasure myself. Walter, the closest of my “friends” insisted on accompanying me. I eventually gave way and had one of Burton’s sailors send us off in the direction of Cyril, my coder. Of course, I wasn’t worried about the map to the fountain of youth. I had it the whole time! When you’re searching for something as important as eternal life you must be aware that there are others who would probably want it more than you. Figuring this I drew up a duplicate, with some “minor” changes in location. I chuckle now. Logan will be quite cross when he reads the map to learn I’ve tricked him into believing the fountain lies in the Bermuda Triangle. But, I doubt he’ll learn quickly. I even made the map out in English. He doesn’t know the original map is in some coded symbol-language. So writing the fake out in actual coordinates works better for me. So, I headed with Walter back to London to meet up with Cyril and start pushing this thing forward. Normally my friends charge a hefty price for their services, but when your promising the elixir of immortality at no physical expense of theirs, you’d be surprised how ‘on-board’ everyone gets. We spent some time in London while Cyril took to the map. By this time I could only speculate that Logan and Taylor were battling the waters of the triangle. And good for them. Serves them right for trying to kill me and ruin what could possibly be the greatest expedition I’ve ever embarked upon! To think I would one day be counted among the greats. That, I would say, was my biggest dream. One that this fountain would secure for me. While Walter and myself walked the streets of the nice foggy city we came across a duo of two other gifted folks in our profession. Leo Turner, an expert on the Aztecs, as well as a seeker of foreign pottery and Jack Scythe, the man who rediscovered some jewel called the Hope Daimond after it went missing a couple years back. The two just so happened to be leaving a local pub. No doubt in discussion about a new job. Two big shots like them wouldn’t just meet up to shoot the shit. They weren’t buddies, as far as I knew. We made quick chat and went our separate ways. I bet that by the time we were out of view they kept questioning why I was in London, just as much as I was wondering about them. My only goal, for right now, was to lay low. So there would be no trailing leads that I wasn’t let in on. No sneaking around to gain insight. Certainly no embarking on any hunts that took my attention away from locating the fountain of youth. About a month passed and Walter had come to work very closely with me. I must say I’d grown an attachment to the tracker. He was a comedic and down-to-earth kind of fellow with wits to match. I felt he would be a fine sidekick. That is, if he’d accept such a title. Getting back on point. Out at the shops, one day in the afternoon, there came this yelling as Cyril’s assistant, Finny, a chap in a small coat and black cap, had been sent by the coder to call us back to his study; For he had cracked the mystery of the map and played out its precise readings. Upon returning to Cyril’s study we discovered a break-in. The map was gone, Cyril was missing and of all the luck there was no trace of who this might have been. We were at a dead end. A whole month of waiting, for nothing. If it hand’t been for a description Finny gave of a few men he saw sitting on the corner of Cyril’s house, just before he left, perhaps I never would have deduced that the scoundrels that kidnapped Cyril and took the map were Leo Turner and Jack Scythe, of all people! I knew their presence in London couldn’t have just been a coincidence. They had my map and my human-coder. And I assured Walter and Finny that we were going to get them both back. Jack’s mother lived locally. A nice elderly woman with a weak mind and a big heart who thinks her son is a pilot. He visits her before every job and tells her where he’ll be off to. Leaving out the details of him being an arms dealer and treasure seeker, of course. After a quick stop and her house, and half a cup of tea, we found ourselves on a dock by the harbor and paying witness to Scythe and Turner, as well as three henchmen, forcing Cyril into the hold of a ship they had all fitted up with supplies. Finny and Walter took positions behind some barrels while I jumped right out and announced myself. Turner’s men began to move on me; Each of them clutching a revolver or two. They asked me how I had found them and what I thought I was going to do to oppose their thievery. I couldn’t really pay attention all that well to their questioning. I was too busy giggling over the absurd amount of hand grenades I had on me at the time. I pointed out towards the sea and tricked their eyes away and their attention off of me. I flung a few explosives into the water and commanded a path for Finny and Walter to come running across the dock and hop onto the boat. Shrapnel flung everywhere as Scythe, Turner and his men ran in a panic of the exploding dock. I made grenades rain as I dropped one with each leap. Finally, I took the two sticks of dynamite I had been hiding in my coat, sparked them up and threw them onto the dock. I hopped onto the departing boat with Walter, Finny and the bound Theodore beneath us. As the dock exploded we made our getaway. The night became day as I could hear Jack and Leo swearing all the way until I could see those docks no further. Our first order of business was to untie Cyril. Our second was to locate where we were headed on the map. The map which I did not have! I had forgotten it! On the dock, in the pocket of Leo Turner, the bastard!! I could nearly feel my heart stop as I dropped to the ground in a fit. Then, as if a great miracle had been blessed upon my head, Finny stepped forward and revealed that he’d swiped the map off Leo in the ensuring chaos. I took a deep breath and a well deserved jovial-vomit off the side of the ship, collecting myself and returned to the matter at hand. The fountain. The map was taking us to Africa. To the jungles and tribes of men said to be savages. For there were tribes hat had not known the existence of the modern world outside their boarders. And their discovery of use, as well as their treatment of us, is what I feared most. We came upon the shores of Africa quite swiftly and without hassle. Theo and Finny had decided to join us, as I had convinced Cyril that giving him the immortality elixir when we got to the fountain would be much easier than taking samples and dragging them across long distances and avoiding theft. With me he knew the elixir would find safe delivery. Cryil stayed behind and attempted to flag down any ships he could find. We embarked upon the jungles of the foreign land and with weapons in tow. We made sure to have Walter guide our way as he had lived in a predominantly english-influenced fraction of Africa for a time. In those days he was a hunter and writer, before pursuing my line of work with the passion for uncovering history’s secrets. Walter sent us through a beautiful wilderness and we eventually happened upon an African tribe. At first we heard the clicking of guns, then the moaning of distress. We hid as we analyzed the situation, realizing the tribe had been assaulted. We saw the whole populous in cages, trafficked by men in camouflage suits. Men, women and children were behind steel bars, having guns poked in their faces if they’d dare stick their arms through the bars. It was ghastly sight. The huts of the village were set ablaze and the jeeps and trucks that had seemed to have transported the cages had a rather familiar look to them. Black and grey with a hawk’s severed wing in a white silhouette design. The symbol of Victor Logan’s mercenary fractions. The bastard had gotten here before us. No doubt the tribe gave him trouble so he had them all rounded up. Now it was just a matter of pin-pointing the damned mastermind himself. We saw Taylor Morgan, the traitor, step out from behind a green tent and make his way over to a group of hired hands, seemingly commanding them to guard the tent as he went off into the forest. Probably to spend a penny. Finny, Walter and myself positioned ourselves around the camp from three locations. It appeared that we weren’t rescuing these tribes folk and foiling Morgan’s plans without a strong distraction. We decided more forward force was needed for this to be pulled off, so we agreed to shoot the men. No killing blows of course. We shot strictly for their legs, that way they could not chase us! The mercenaries fell in pain as I skipped through their writhing torsos, apologizing with each one I had passed. They weren’t reaching for their guns. They were too busy nursing their hole-y legs. I strolled swiftly into the tent to find, what appeared to be, the tribe’s chief, bound and gagged. I set him loose and made haste to find the keys to the cages. Finny, Walter and myself flung open the doors of the cages as the tribe mobilized. The chief, Takobe’, thanked me personally, apparently being experienced in the english language. He handed me, what he said was, an heirloom of his tribe’s ancestry. A necklace made of claws and precious stones. I was honored. The thanks had to be cut short as we could all hear Taylor returning from his piddle. I ambushed the prick on his way back from his mid-morning tinkle and forced him to tell me about Logan’s whereabouts while Walter held him at rifle-point. He told me that Victor and a few of his best men had headed North in search of a hidden temple. The only thing I worried about more than bumping heads with Logan was more damn walking! Taylor spilled his guts in a panic. He was quite simple to interrogate, if I do say so myself. Though I am sure that in that blistering heat I might have looked rather desperate. I dropped him to the ground once I had learned all I wished to have learned. Walter cocked the rifle to give Taylor a scare. I must say, I chuckled a bit at the action. Walter wanted to shoot Morgan, but I demanded he leave him be. I assured Walter justice was afoot and convinced the tracker to follow along with me. Taylor begged us not to kill him. I assured him I would not; As if I would ever commit such an act. However, as we turned our backs on him we welcomed the company of the furious tribe he had imprisoned. They rushed past us in a sea of angry faces and sharp tools as they swept Taylor, the traitor, away in a sea of vengeance and sharp pointy daggers and spears. We heard his screams until we came across a discarded jeep which we would then use to pursue Logan and his band. Rushing through the brush of the jungle, we encountered a tiger which persuade us in great haste. It nearly slashed the wheels of the jeep, that was, until Walter gunned out the beast’s left arm, halting it. We travelled a while and happened upon the small aztec-looking temple, yellow, half crushed and nearly sunken into the ground. There we found Logan’s jeep; assuming he and his men were inside. We proceeded with confidence, moving steadily, yet sure that he could not call for back-up; Allowing us to avoid any ambush. He happened upon long corridors with candles and traps sprung. Since we were the second group to pass through this trap-maze, we enjoyed a safe stroll through, as Logan’s men had already activated the flying daggers and falling walls of an average sacred-temple. We finally came to the last room, and there we saw Logan and two of his last hired hands looking up at some large round object on the wall. It almost looked like an ancient calendar, but nothing like the Mayans’. We made sure to stay quiet and listen in on what Logan was discussing with his lowers. Surely this was just the beginning to a long goose-chase that would lead us all along a vast road to reach the fountain. I got this feeling in my gut, that this quick venture which I supposed would take a few months, might in-fact take years to accomplish. I hadn’t thought of this before; And the idea chilled me. But, I certainly wouldn’t let Logan get to the fountain before me. And so, like a fool, pride and impatience filled my head and I dived out from the shadowy corridor to hold Logan at gunpoint and force him to tell us of all that he had learned. Not my brightest move, I can assure you of that. Especially once he ordered his men’s guns upon me; telling them to shoot if I even flinched. It was then that this standoff was interrupted by Inspector Claude Augustine of the French Secret Service. Now, to explain the inspector’s purpose and reason for being in this exact point, at this exact time, we need to rewind back my career as a treasure hunter a bit, to a time when I was more hated than most other scoundrels in my profession. Some time ago I was involved in the retrieval of this rare Russian stone, nicknamed the ‘Ragnarok Amulet’. During it’s captured I learned that I was employed by criminals, attempting to steal the piece from a wealthy world traveler. Coulda’ fooled me; And they did! So me and team have this thing in hand and all of a sudden the French Secret Service, of all things, busts us. Mainly cause the stone was on transportation from Russia to France at the time. That’s how I cam to know Inspector Claude Augustine, you see. He followed us farther and longer than any off his other fellow operatives could. He was determined to catch us. We ended up escaping with the Ragnarok Amulet and I took it for myself, taking the money and the object of value from the criminals who tricked me into doing their dirty work. Nowadays that same organization is after me for finding out and turning on them; Just as Augustine can’t let the fact that I got away go. He’s caught each and every one of my accomplices for that job up until this point. I’m the last one; And though I always evade him, I do constantly fear inevitable capture. From time to time he would appear, trailing me from the start of my ventures to find treasures and such. And quite a bother he was becoming. I knew I could never kill him. I have too much respect for the average law-man to just gun them down like some heartless fiend or righteously absentminded hero figure. By this point all I could do was hope that he would one day give up his search for me or find someone more interesting to chase. I digress. The agent was a fine distraction as bullets flew and my tour leaped for cover. A bullet hit Logan and one slug skimmed my leg, but I could still run like hell. We got out of there quick-fast and Walter had picked up some detonation device he found laying by Logan. Before I could intervene Walter hit the switch and blew the structure sky high. I gave Walter a good belting after that, especially since he’d completely forgotten that the map to the fountain was inside with Logan and the Inspector, who were both probably buried under mountains of rock. I stopped to my knees and sat in a stubborn position, mumbling obscenities while Walter paced back an forth, embarrassed. Finny sat with me and sulked as we had come all this way for nothing. Finny also remarked about how adventures didn’t always end in the discovery of treasure. That perhaps they were just sometimes composted of the journey to one’s own final destination; and that it was the journey that we were meant to look back on and enjoy. That that was the true treasure of this hole quest. Yeah… what a crock of shit. Would you believe Theodore was still waving down ships on the shore when we came back? It looked like we were gonna be there for a while.

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