#book 3 chapter 26

[adventures-of-the-creeping-bam]

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY: THE ADVENTURES OF THE CREEPING BAM,  BOOK THREE: WARMER - CHAPTER 26

If you’re new to the story, please go check out Book 1 first …

Book 3 Chapter 1 is here …

MPORTANT:  Please note this story includes content that may be considered mature, such as moderate battle violence, some strong language and occasional mild sexual scenes.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:  KESLA

It’s an unusually cold morning for Untermer, but the mist that’s rolled in overnight wasn’t unexpected as a result, especially since it’s so overcast.  It’s a damp, pregnant start to the day as the dawn starts to roll in particularly grey and drab, but ‘least it ain’t raining.  Not yet.  I get the feeling that’s on the way.

The mist’s actually a good thing.  We ain’t quite up to no good, but I’m sure the local authorities wouldn’t exactly approve of what we intend to do here on the docks.  Up here in First Point, where the wealthier end of the residential spectrum of Untermer see most of their import and export business done, things tend to be more strictly policed than further down the wharves.  A mile down the crescent you’re as likely to get a knife in the guts for just walking round without paying attention.  ‘Least up here there’s actual rules to follow.

The weather ain’t slowed business down any, I noticed.  The rolling mists just make it harder to tell exactly what’s going on out there beyond the roiling grey billows, just odd shifting shadows in the lightening murk that loom and then vanish along with muffled sounds making it even harder to keep track of anything.  There’s still ships docking and setting out, hulls being packed or emptied, cargoes rolled in or hefted out using strong backs and a whole lot o’ cursing.  The day starts early here, while those who been sweating on the night shifts are just now starting to pack up their gear to shuffle off for the pubs or just limp home for a good long sleep or much needed early supper.  Means we ain’t alone out here in the clammy murk.

That’s good, though.  We can move round out here without necessarily giving ourselves away if anybody is looking out for us.  And with this cold soup cloaking our cautious approach, it’ll be all the harder for ‘em to spot us anyway.

The warehouse looks largely closed down, the windows boarded up and the whitewash peeling badly, while the masonry’s grown unusually cracked, worn and grubby for these climes, even for down here on the docks.  The big main doors are still solid, but they’re pretty effectively locked, with thick chains wrapped across ‘em and bolted in tight, sealed up with some of the most massive padlocks I ever come across.  Reckon they’re designed specifically to deter Thieves Guild and the like, cuz they look serious.

The sign above the doors says Hardward, but just barely, like everything else the paint’s mostly gone, the word itself a mere faded ghost barely visible on the dry, split, flaking boards.  There were some other words painted on the sign too, but these have long since disappeared, just the odd arch, dot or speck here or there to even show they were there in the first place.  Even in the cold, blurry haze I can see how thoroughly neglected this whole place is, but the sign in particular.  Which just makes me all the more certain that this is definitely the place.

It's too decrepit and rundown, certainly for this part of the city.  Every other place we’ve passed on the way down in First Point has been well-maintained, proper spiffy even in some cases.  Seems that, even though these are working joints with a lot o’ rough, salty folk coming in and out, they’re determined to keep up appearances.  This place, sat in the middle of it all, is such a genuine eyesore, you almost gotta wonder why anyone else even puts up with it.  It’s bringing the whole side down.

But that’s kinda the point, I reckon.  It looks abandoned, but I ain’t fooled.  There’s still lights burning inside, I can just about see that through the grimy, cracked glass we can barely make out behind the boards, and there’s no rust on the chains, or those heavy duty locks in particular.  Given how much salt’s in the air out here that’s impressive enough on its own, and a dead giveaway.  No, this is definitely the place.

Pulling back while still keeping an eye on the big main doors but, more especially, the sheltered side-door three steps down in a little nook off to the side, I give Art a little wave to follow.  Since he’s ten feet on my left I don’t really see the sidelong glance he must be making my way through the mist, but I catch the nod he gives well enough to pass, and take a few more cautious steps backwards until I’m comfortable enough with the obscuring haze to finally turn away.  Staying low with my hand firmly gripping my sword hanging at my hip, I scurry back to cover.  Trusting Art’s doing the same, cuz I sure as hell can’t hear him.

Thirty feet further off, I see the old fisherman’s tackle shack starting to materialise outta the gloom.  The mist ain’t thinning yet, but the light in the east is definitely growing a good deal brighter now, muted shades of orange and bruised pinks vaguely filtering through the grey now, so the sun’s definitely on the rise now.  Give it another hour or so and the mist’ll be mostly burned off.

I cut to the right as I approach the hulking spectre of the shack, and remembering that Art’s coming in from the side keeps me from drawing on the figure silently hustling out of the murk.  I slow enough to give him a cursory look and his narrowed eyes widen a fraction when he finally spots me, and he nods, looking a little non-plussed as I start cutting round the side o’ the squat single-storey building.

The creak of Yeslee’s tightening bowstring is the only warning I get as she draws when I slip round the corner, but it’s enough to set my heart pounding as I tense and raise my hands, hissing quietly to announce myself.  I don’t see her though, only Darwyn as she steps out from inside the doorway, sliding her knife back into its sheath as she registers it’s me.  When he emerges behind me Art’s largely oblivious to the threat.  Two beats later Shay follows, having darted in similarly quietly from the other side.

Thankfully I hear the easing creak of her bowstring as Yes relaxes again as I make my way further round, navigating cluttered stacks of coiled rope and empty lobster-pots and whatever other detritus has been piled the salt-rotted decking.  She finally steps out a moment later, slotting her arrow back in her quiver, and gives me a cool look.

“What?  Ain’t like you didn’t know I was coming back.”

“Yes, well this weather is not helping my nerves.”  She growls back, not a hint of humour in her voice.

Trying not to roll my eyes, I just take in the others.  Zuldrad’s absent, having headed off on the far side to try scouting round the back, but I asked Big Man to keep an eye on him all the same, just in case anything happened.  The golem’s still stood in the exact same place as when I left, hunkered down in the shadow of the eaves near the back of the building, but I can make out his baleful red glare easily enough through the thin haze.

Tulen steps up on my left, Krakka shadowing her, but Lady Naru remains where she is, close to Big Man, leaning slightly into her staff as she watches me approach with a cool expression of her own.  After a moment I realise there’s one of us missing.  “Where’s Brung?”

“Above you.”  Driver 8 rumbles at his lowest, which is still enough for the decking to tremble.

Looking up, I catch sight of his sharp yellow stare as he hovers just short of the eaves, craning down at me.  I fight off the urge to shudder, but I can’t quite help it all the same, that’s just a little unsettling to me.

“Right.  Well this is definitely it.  Far as I can tell don’t look like there’s anybody out front watching, but from what I could see there’s definitely something inside.”  I turn back to Driver 8.  “You’re sure nobody’s guarding it?”

“I cannot sense anyone either patrolling the perimeter or watching from above on the roofing.  However, I still cannot perceive anything of the interior.”

“Great.”  I growl the word low, unable to keep from giving the sword a little squeeze.  That still don’t fill me with any confidence, the fact that when we arrived Big Man couldn’t make out anything inside the warehouse itself just creeped me out, and it’s not gotten any better since.  Far as I’m concerned that’s just a major red flag.

“You think maybe we should call this off?”  Darwyn’s frowning hard as she looks past me in the general direction of the place, since there’s no way she could possibly make it out in this.  “Feels a whole lot like a trap to me.”

Frustratingly, Darwyn definitely has a point.  The last time we ran into something like this, a genuine blind-spot in the golem’s strange, supernaturally powerful sensory capabilities, we almost got ourselves killed.  When I look to Shay now I can see she’s frowning back towards the warehouse now – she was on the other side o’ that particular engagement, but I filled her in on the anomaly since so she knows it’s a worrying sign.

Unfortunately, it really don’t make any actual difference.  We still gotta go in there.  By every indicator we run into looking into this, Gael has to be in there, likely her father too.  And, if that’s the case, probably a whole lot of other folks all need rescuing too.  ‘Well as plenty we need to kill.

“Shit.”  I reach up, and almost brush my hands up over my hair, but manage to stop myself in time.  I greased my hair before we set out, slicking it with the oily black mixture I keep in the pot in my ready kit to keep it plastered back over my skull and well out my eyes, and I use it to paint my face the way I always do too.  Just that simple wide band o’ black across my eyes, but it’s always done the trick in the past, usually having a hell of an effect on most o’ my opponents when we come face-to-face.

So I just shake my hands out as I lower ‘em again and grit my teeth in cold frustration.  “Yeah, we ain’t got a choice.  We still gotta go in.”  I suck a hard breath through my teeth and turn to Lady Naru.  “What d’you reckon?”

She ponders for a moment, gripping her staff a little tighter, before finally giving a particularly non-committal shrug.  “I don’t know enough about the functions of a golem to be able to make a truly educated guess, but I would imagine there’s some form of magical dampener in there.  I have no means of establishing what kind it is, though.  It might simply be designed to prevent outside observation, or it may be intended to obstruct or entirely deaden any magical effects within its radius.”

Nodding, I look back through the haze to where I know the warehouse is, without being able to actually see it.  “That’s about what I expected.  That’ll be Tavarrat, won’t it?”

“I would imagine so, yes.”

“Lovely.”  The rogue wizard’s always seemed like bad news to me, but since I had that little conversation with Saxiros before we headed out I’m learning to be a whole lot more nervous about her now.  This new development’s a particularly problematic kink, but not much of a surprise.

Luthan Tavarrat is something of a sticking point with the Silver Order, the impression the Dragonhalf official gave me was that she’s another one of the shameful little secrets they’d rather keep buried, although more like Ashsong than Shay’s friend Garnon.  Not quite so much of a monster as the former Academy faculty member-turned-warlock, but bad enough to worry us.  That being said, once they had the name those he contacted were somewhat surprised that he was even asking.  Turns out that, far as the Order knows, she’s already dead.

When I mentioned that to the others, those who remember the story of Ashsong as we know it – Art, Krakka, Shay, Yeslee and Big Man, mostly – thought this was becoming a worryingly common occurence, and further confirmation that we clearly stumbled into something a lot more worrying than we expected.  In a way this makes finding out what the hell Vandryss even is all the more important for the bigger picture.

The problem is, once upon a time, Tavarrat was very much like Gael.  When she came to the Academy she had high hopes, and soon enough her teachers developed similar faith in her future.  She advanced quickly through every course of study she was enrolled in, particularly excelling in the fields of Transmutation and Elemental Evocation – whatever the hell those are – and became well-versed in physical combat, becoming a true expert in a few of the more intrinsically defensive weapons disciplines.  It came as no surprise to anyone, then, that when she graduated with full honours she chose to go into public service, going out into the wider world to serve those in need as a practical spellcaster.

At first, everything went well.  She served with honour and integrity in the field, bringing multiple threats to heel and saving many lives in the first decade of her service.  Then her wanderings finally brought her home to Untermer, and this was where the first cracks appeared.  No-one knows why she started to slip, but given what I’ve learned through our experiences of Vandryss, her people, and Hontiresk in particular, I suspect she came under the influence of something her education and experiences hadn’t prepared her for.  An influence she likely didn’t even realise was an actual threat until it was too late to fight.

Whatever led to her fundamental change, she started to head down a dark road not long after finding her way home.  Small things at first, occasionally using her influence or powers to benefit criminal enterprises for hire – I suspect, thinking about it, that Vik likely had a hand in this, or perhaps Hontiresk himself, or those he associates with – but it became more of a pressing issue when her arcane strongarming led to a particularly messy incident and the Order had to start paying attention.  She was given an administrative slap on the wrist, and for a time it seemed to have worked, but given where she ended up more likely she just got better at hiding her involvement after that.  Then three people died, down in the Speartip, the bottom of the Drumhalt where it reaches the docks,  and they couldn’t ignore the problem any more …

They tried to call her in, but she refused to come.  No-one who knew her in the Order understood what the hell was going on with her, but more so why she would so blatantly refuse a request to return to the Citadel.  But there was nothing more that could be done, they made a decision in her absence instead, and she was fully expelled from the Order, and marked as an arcane threat to public safety.

A team was sent out to Untermer an hour later.  They had strict orders, to take her alive if at all possible for transport back to the Citadel to face judgement and punishment for her crimes, but if this proved impossible … well, anybody who’s faced off against warlocks or liches in the past can see where that was going.  And her future didn’t look good either way – even if she were to be brought in and judged, the likelihood of her survival was pretty slim given what she’d done, or ‘least been responsible for.  People died, innocents from the sound of it.  According to Saxiros, this weren’t self-defence, she had no excuse, no way to argue her way out of it.  Her best case scenario would’ve been freezing in a block of black enchanted glass somewhere down in the catacombs under the Citadel, treated no different from any other monstrous supernatural danger to the world at large.

Four of the operatives sent to bring her in died in the attempt, and after that the survivors had no choice.  As far as they knew, she was blasted into ash, long with half a building.  She was supposed to be dead.  And yet …

Altogether it’s setting a worrying trend for the Order, at least in our association.  First Ashsong, now this, and together with whatever the hell Vandryss’ deal is, this is genuinely worrying.  Saxiros sent his concerns along the proper channels, but discretely, taking care to contact only those he can be confident are safe.  Mistress Thermyse is, of course, top o’ that list.  He ain’t heard back yet, but I don’t doubt they’re all nervous as we are now.

Meanwhile, looks like she’s continuing to be a major thorn in our sides in our current endeavours.  I look to Tulen now, finding the dragonhalf stood by with a troubled look on her face.  She reaches up now, brushing hair from her face in a particularly self-conscious gesture, and when she realises I’m watching her it takes a moment for her to comfortably meet my eyes.

“Tulen?”

“Yes?”  She jumps a little, even though she knows full well she’s being addressed.

“Calm down, lass.  We’re all friends here.”  I take a step closer to her, trying to seem friendly as I can now in the hopes of putting her more at ease.  I don’t know if it’s just nerves or her own growing worry for Gael that’s working her up so much, but she’s getting proper high-strung cuz of it.  “Y’know anything about this kinda stuff?  I dunno exactly, but I figured given what Gael told us you did for jour job at the Citadel …”

“Oh.”  She frowns a little, thinking, then her eyes widen.  “Oh!  Yes, of course.  Yes … um … well I suppose I could …”  She blinks, looking past me now.  “But I don’t see how … I mean I don’t think I could … not from here, at least.”  She looks to me again, growing scattered again.  “Um …”

Frowning myself, I look the others over for a long beat, then finally nod.  “Yeah, fair enough.  Well I’m coming with you.  Art, you still with us?”

“Course I am, boss.”  He’s checking his gear over again, looking like he’s raring to go now.  “I wanna be in there much as you do.”

“Fine.”  I turn to regard Shay, who nods before I even say anything.

“Definitely.”

“All right.”  Thinking on it for a moment longer, I turn back to Lady Naru.  “You too.  Long as you’re okay with that.”

“Whyever would I not be?”  She cocks a brow as she answers me, picking her staff up from where she’s been leaning lightly against it.  “I would have insisted anyway.”

“Fair enough.”  I grin at that, although it’s likely no more humorous than I feel right now, more of a warrior’s expression now as I smell the coming fight.  I take a step back and look down at myself now, checking my gear over too, preparing for what’s pretty much guaranteed to come within the next few minutes.

I thought about maybe changing out my half-plate into da’s repaired armour, especially after hearing how well Shay’s beautiful suit served her both when they caught Vik and, more recently, on the Heath, but in the end time seemed too pressing.  Instead I just swapped out my bracers and my boots too, strapping my old greaves on just to be sure, and gave my sword a quick once-over.  I was surprised that strike I accidentally dealt that magical shield didn’t do any real damage to it, all I ultimately had to do was sharpen the edges a little and work out a few little scratches where I suspect it hit hardest, then just give the steel a good polish.  My axes barely even needed looking at, and I just strapped ‘em right back on after along with my sword.  Then I set about making myself look good and fierce like I almost always do before a serious scrap.

I reach over my shoulder now and slip the right-hand axe free again, giving it a tight, cautious little flourish, mostly just to get myself in the mood.  Finally I nod, more to myself than anyone else, and I’m ready.

“Sure you don’t want me to come?”  Yeslee surprises me, the way she’s right at my side without me noticing her approach impressing me just as much as it ever does.  She’d look as cool and stoic to most anybody else as she always does, but I can pick up on the indicators all the same, she’s a touch nervous just like me, and most o’ the others too.

“No.  I want you back here, along with Big Man.  Either me or Art’ll signal if we need anybody to come in hot, and to be honest if that is the case reckon it’d be best if it was Big Man heading that charge.  Don’t you?”

She frowns just a little at that, but then nods.  Behind her, Driver 8 takes a few slow, careful steps out from under his cover and approaches.  “Where do you need me?  If it becomes necessary for me to intervene.”

“Honestly, you might as well just power right through the main doors if you’re comin’.”  I try not to grin at the thought, I know he’ll do immense damage and he’ll be terrifying to whoever’s in there as he’ll be unstoppable, but if we do need him after all we might be in a tighter spot than I’d really like.

“Very well.”  He can’t nod, not really, but something in the way he rolls his shoulders a little suggests it well enough.

Nodding myself, I turn back to Yes.  “Just watch out, and keep your ears open.  If anything does happen then we might need you pretty sharpish.”

Narrowing her eyes, Yes grits her teeth a noticeable jot before answering:  “Well you just be careful yourself, then, and we won’t need to.”

Cocking my brow, I give her a subtle look before finally popping a gentle slap into her lower shoulder.  She raises her brows at that, it’s not something I do often, but I reckon she might at least be starting to recognise it for the endearment it is.  Certainly she don’t complain as I turn away and move back to Shay, who’s standing close to the corner of the shack now, looking out into the mist, with Krakka at her side, leaning somewhat on his hammer.

The cleric turns as I approach, watching me for a long moment before speaking.  “Watch yourself going in, please.”  He gives me a particularly pointed look as he speaks.

“Gods, not you too.”  I sigh, lying my offhand on my sword’s hilt as I step up beside Shay.  “You good?”

“Raring to get in there.”  She mutters, plucking idly at the string of my bow.  She frowns down at it for a moment before finally turning to me, giving me a questioning look.  “What’s the plan?”

“I dunno yet.  We’ll see when we get there.”  When she frowns, I just shrug.  “We don’t even know what we’re dealing with yet.  Could be whatever that is in there that’s blocking Big Man’s senses is a full-blown trap meant for us.  Could just be a smokescreen.  So we gotta play it by ear.”

“I should be coming with you, then.”  Krakka rasps, and when I look down again his stare is a good deal harder.  “Since you don’t know what might happen.”

“No.”  I frown down at him.  “You’re way too loud.  We’re trying to sneak, remember?”  I reach down and give his shoulder a fond little press.  “Follow Big Man in, if he does need to come.  You can come in swinging right behind him.  If we do run into trouble we’ll need firepower ‘fore we need fixing.”

His frown deepens before he finally nods.  “Yes, I suppose you’re right.  But I’m with Yeslee, I really don’t like this.”

“None of us do.”  I give his shoulder one last squeeze before letting go, then look back.

Art’s already there, hood pulled low over his head so his eyes are barely a dull emerald glint in the shadow, but I can see how tight his jaw’s set, and his tail, usually tucked away out of sight under his cloak, is clearly visible now as it twitches from side to side.  Quick and erratic, mirroring his mood, and the way the shaggier fur at the tip’s all puffed up he’s all kinds o’ wound up right now, just like the rest of us.  He gives me a look when he sees me, but holds his tongue.

Behind him, the two mages approach, Tulen leaning in to whisper something to Lady Naru, but the sorcerer doesn’t respond.  She’s already looking right at me as she finally plants her feet, letting her staff settle against her shoulder.  “I’m ready when you are, then.”

The particularly pointed tone with which she delivered that makes me frown, but I don’t respond, instead just turning back to look out into the mist.  The light’s definitely growing now, the sky beyond starting to clear, and I suspect the haze is thinning out a little now.  Another hour and I reckon the sun’ll be burning it off in earnest.  Best move now, then.

So I turn to Shay and nod down at my bow.  “Don’t nock yet, but be ready.”

Shay gives me a subtly hot look as she slips an arrow out of the well-loaded quiver tucked into the small of her back, which she then holds down at her side, twiddling it a little like she’s not entirely sure what to actually do with it now she’s got it out.  “It’s not my first time doing this, as you well know.”

“An’ I seen firsthand how capable you are.”  I smile back, but with little real humour.  “Just wanna make sure we’re on the same page.”

Instead of answering back, Shay just gives me a sharp look, and I can’t help grinning a little wider seeing it.  Finally I turn to Art.  “All right.  You first.  Side entrance, if you don’t mind.”

Nodding, Art don’t even breath, he just lopes off right into the mist, and within a second he’s gone in the grey.  I count down a few more beats, then carefully flip my axe into my left hand so I don’t hit Shay with it when I give her arm a gentle nudge.  Then I start out at a low, careful jog, trusting her to keep up with me.

Remembering well enough where we’re going, I scuttle straight towards the main entrance for a bit before swerving to the side, and when I hear the subtle skipping change in the sound of Shay’s sure-footed boot leather keeping pace I know she’s paying attention.  The decking under out feet is still slick with condensation, but I’m sure-footed enough and know my friends are too, so neither of us go down as I tighten up a little more as the front wall of the building looms into view on my side and I tuck in close beside it.  Slowing now as I start to scurry along, keeping my eyes open as I search for Art.

I’m almost right on top of him before I finally spot him, crouched low just short o’ the drop-off into the steps leading down to the door, and while he’s looking that way he still must catch me coming because he reaches back and raises his hand in warning to stop me.  I pay heed, slowing on the spot, and stop a foot short of his outstretched hand, switching the axe back into my right hand as I drop into a crouch too.

Shay joins me a quick beat after, and when I turn back she’s now nocking the arrow to the bowstring, letting it settle in place without drawing any.  She gives me another look when she catches my gaze, but I don’t rise to the bait.  Instead I look past to watch for the others.

Lady Naru emerges from the shifting grey a few moments later, and I can now make out the glisten of dew in her hair making it sparkle and glint, more like spun silver than ever.  It’s striking enough to almost distract me for a moment, until I remember what we’re about and look behind her.  Damn it … “Where’s Tulen?”  I hiss, trying to keep my whisper low as possible as she stops beside me and settles down on her haunches too, hanging onto her staff as much to maintain her balance now as she works to get comfortable.

Frowning, she glances back over her shoulder, casting about for a moment.  “She was right behind me.”

“Shit.”  I growl it this time, stretching a little so I can crane over them both, trying to get a better look at our surroundings as I search.  Damn it indeed, this is not what we need right now.  Fucking mist, I was really hoping it was only gonna help us in this …

Then Shay tenses, shifting a little as she turns so she can start to draw the bow as she raises it, looking out past me, and when I turn I see a shape blundering about, only half seen, maybe twenty feet off from us.  Reaching out, I put my hand over Shay’s own and gently push the bow down, and she slowly relaxes her draw as she makes the connection too, breathing out slowly as she relaxes again.

I was right, we really are all wound too tight right now.  I turn back and focus on the figure as they stop and, I think, turn round, looking like they’re searching for something.  Finally I spit the subtlest psst I dare to make at ‘em and hope for the best.

Tulen – cuz I’m sure that’s who it is – tenses the moment I make the sound, freezing on the spot, then after a wary beat she finally turns our way and, I think, cocks her head.  She must realise what that was because she starts to relax again, drawing down a little so she can make her own cautious jog in our direction.  Once she becomes clear in the hazy air I see her face is already darkening, her blush heavy, and she won’t meet my eyes at all.

“Sorry.”  she barely mutters as she arrives, dropping into her own crouch a good deal less gracefully, having to struggle for a moment when her sword catches the decking beside her and everything pokes up on her belt.  She hisses in frustration as she struggles to correct it.

“It’s all right.”  I keep my tone as gentle and calm as I can, hoping I can soothe her now.  “You made it in the end, that’s what counts.”

“Okay.”  she finally manages to look up at me, and while she’s still blushing there’s a little hope in her glance now.  “I’ll … I’ll try not to … you know …”

Resisting the urge to just reach out and pull her in for a hug, I just give her a gentle smile instead.  Then I turn to Art, finding he’s looking our way now.  “How’s it look?”

“You were right, no lock.  That’s interesting.”  He reaches up under his cloak, fiddling with his knives now, but he don’t draw anything, just checking, probably.  Mostly just fidgeting.  “What you wanna do?”

“You reckon maybe you can just sneak in?”

“Maybe.”  He turns back now, and he’s frowning deep himself, looking all kinds of uncertain in fact.  “Cept I don’t know what the fuck’s in there.  I can’t hear anything.  If there is anybody in there they’re bein’ bloody quiet.”

That has me frowning too, and I turn back to Shay.  “How ‘bout you?”

Shaking her head, Shay clenches her jaw as she considers for a moment.  “No, he’s right.  This place is awfully quiet.  If it wasn’t for the lights in the windows I’d think this place really was as abandoned as it looks.”

When I turn to her, Lady Naru’s looking past me, considering the doorway, and there’s the subtlest quirk of a smile touching her lips.  “If I may?”  She tilts her staff upright and, surprisingly, pulls down on the shaft … and it actually starts to contract, seeming to shrink down as she draws on it.  When she then picks it up, it really is a good two feet shorter, then she adjusts her grip and repeats the process, and again the shaft seems to shorten once more.  When I look to Shay again I see I’m not the only one somewhat astounded by this uncanny little trick.

Instead of doing it a third time, the sorcerer simply turns it in her hands so she can take either end of what’s left of the staff and simply push on them, and once again it responds as pliably as before.  Finally there’s literally just four inches of shaft and the head itself left, which she then turns over in her hand before tucking the whole thing into her wide, hanging sleeve … and after saying something under her breath, another of those strange tone-words, it’s just … gone.

When she looks up again, she’s smiling wider now, and after a beat she actually tips me a wink, which takes me even more by surprise.  Finally she settles back on her haunches, reaching up to brush her hair back from her face and then the rest of it out over her shoulders to tumble down her back, and takes a deep breath, regarding me again with a more critical eye.  “Give me … shall we say, two minutes?  If you don’t hear anything, it’s likely safe to follow me.”

That makes me frown deeper than ever, but before I can ask what the hell she means she sits forward again, moving her hands round as she starts to arch her back so she can let her hands settle down on the ground, down between her knees.  For a moment It almost seems like she starts to stretch, but at the same time, inexplicably, I swear she also starts to shrink … then there’s a very clear shimmer in the air, all round her, before her whole form seems to … blur.  There’s no sound, but for some odd reason I seem to notice a very low, very subtle intake of breath all the same …

And then she’s just … not there anymore.  Instead there’s a fox, a sleek, slender, fiendishly intelligent-looking silver-furred fox, with uncannily human bright blue eyes and a very strange expression, something close to amusement, I think.  It’s unsettling, and yet somehow … I dunno, it also looks perfectly right.  Almost as if this is who she really is.

“What the fuck?”  I can’t help whispering, and when I look round at the others they’re all watching her, just as surprised, Tulen genuinely wide-eyed as she takes it in.  I start to ask what the hell’s going on, but then I realise that Lady Naru, or the fox, whatever, is already moving, scurrying with almost alarming fluid grace down the steps.  Not making a single sound as she moves, I realise.

“How … what the …”  I turn to Tulen again, proper pleading this time, and hiss:  “Seriously, what did she just do?”

“I … I’m sorry, I have no idea.  I’ve never seen a spell like that.  That … that wasn’t transmutation.”

Yeah, I don’t know how to respond to that one, so I don’t even try.

The Naru fox is sniffing at the bottom of the door, quite furtively, actually, then she pulls back and settles on her haunches again, seeming to consider for a moment, and the way she cocks her head is at once exceedingly human but also very much not.  Then she turns, gives me a look, and ducks back to hunker down again, starting to sniff again.  No, wait … no, she’s not sniffing.  I shift forward now, pushing past Art so I can take a close look, and now I can see she’s actually trying to shove her nose under the door, as if she’s actually working on burrowing her way through.  And after a moment’s resistance, it actually starts to work.

She immediately starts squirming with more intensity, and somehow it seems to genuinely pay off as, quicker and quicker still, she just squeezes herself into the crack under the door.  When I look back at Tulen this time her eyes are the widest I ever seen ‘em, she’s proper dumbfounded, so this time I don’t even ask.  Whatever it is that Lady Naru, or whatever she is now, is doing, it ain’t no kinda magic known to the Silver Order.

I turn back just in time to see her tail’s all that’s left sticking out from under the door, and with one last twitch it just sucks right in after her, and that’s that.  I let out the breath I now realise I been holding since it started and step the rest o’ the way past Art, setting my hand carefully on the edge of the drop so I can swing myself over and drop into the recess at the bottom.  I barely make any sound landing, I’m good and careful doing it, and immediately tighten up once I land, not quite crouching but still ready in case anything were to happen.  After a thoughtful beat I reach up and over and unhook the other axe, bringing it down now to grip low and ready at my left just like I’m already doing with my right.

The anticipation’s building now.  I’m just focused on the door, my blood pumping as I start to imagine kicking it open, figuring that, unless they got some serious security behind this thing I could probably bust it open with no more’n two.  Maybe just the one if I took a run at it.  I’ll work it out when the time comes.  If it comes.

Instead I’m just left waiting, and I can’t hear anything beyond the door either, now I think about it.  This is … I dunno, I can’t work out if it’s a good sign or real bad.

When I finally hear something it’s approaching footsteps, and I tense up a bit more, drawing into myself now while I lower my head a little, until I can just peer out from under my brows.  I see Art shifting through the corner of my eye now, moving back a couple steps while he brings his hand across to grasp the hilt of his sword, the other flexing as he prepares to follow through drawing the knife on his other hip.  Shay takes a step away from him and vanishes from my sight, but I know she’s just moving behind me, and I catch the subtle scrape as she draws Ashsong’s sword.

The footsteps stop just inside the door, then I hear bolts starting to shoot and it’s enough to make me take a cautious step back, anticipating now.  Three bolts … no, four, bloody hell, they weren’t fuckin’ about after all.  Then I hear the loud, grinding ratchet of a heavy iron bar being slid out of the way as well, and I realise that this would’ve taken me more’n two kicks after all, even with a run-up first.  I might even have hurt myself trying to boot it open, sounds like.  When it opens it’s almost a relief I don’t have to after all.

Lady Naru peers through the gap as it swings inwards, in human form and fully dressed once more, and cocks a brow as she looks me over.  “Now I did say –”

“Yeah, yeah.”  I straighten up again, letting my muscles slowly slacken again as I just walk through.  “Just being prudent.  As you lot like to say.”

Stepping aside to let me through, Lady Naru smiles fondly as she opens the door the rest of the way.  “You needn’t have bothered.  It seems we’ve been anticipated.”

“What?”  That stops me short just before I’ve passed her, turning to regard her hotly now.  I’m barely conscious of Shay stopping just outside the door as she realises I’m halting too.  “You’re kidding me.”

Her smile fades quickly.  “I wish I was, but unfortunately that seems to be the case.  See for yourself.”

Frowning again, I step past her, finding myself in a kind of trench cut into the floor off to the side of a much larger room, with a ramp and stairs leading up onto it a dozen paces further down.  Even before I start climbing the ramp I can already clearly make out the rest o’ the place, because the whole room is pretty much entirely empty.  “Fuck.”

The open space stretches close to forty metres down the other end, before opening into another room further back through a rolling wooden door which currently stands half open.  The roof’s supported in well-spaced spots by thick cast iron pylons with surprisingly intricately detailed curving, artistic arched struts bolted into the ribbed ceiling.  Given the roof of the building’s peaked but the ceiling itself is flat, I suspect there’s a loft overhead, although there’s a good twenty feet o’ headroom above when I reach the somewhat dusty, gritty main floor at the top of the ramp.  This seems to be relatively smooth concrete rather than wood.

The whole place smells of dust and sweat and … something a good deal more acrid, I realise.  Something I long since come to recognise, familiar now after years on one makeshift battlefield after another.  Fear.  Oh yeah, this is definitely the place.  Or it was.

Shay steps past me now, surprisingly me somewhat since I didn’t actually hear her coming up behind me, and she’s already sheathing her sword again as she steps out into the wider space ahead of her.  Taking it all in.  “This is … are we sure this is right?  This place seems as abandoned as it –”

“No, look.”  I point with my right-hand axe, indicating a few spots around the floor now.  There are … well, essentially there’s shapes drawn in the dirt and caked dust on the floor along with multiple footprints of various sizes.  Great gridworks of squares and rectangles arranged in rough streets and avenues all along the length of the chamber, all the way from front to back, looks like.  “Something was in here pretty recently.  A whole lot o’ something.”

Frowning down at it all, Shay sighs in clear frustration.  “Yeah, all right.  But what?”

Gotta shrug at that.  “I got no clue.”

“I might be able to see, actually.”  Tulen’s joined us now, looking round as she steps out onto the floor too.  She already reaching into her components bag, seeming to be going purely by touch.  “Hold on.”

Cocking a brow, I look back down the way we’ve come, seeing Art starting to climb up after us now, sword and knife still comfortably tucked away, it seems.  Lady Naru’s already retrieved her staff, taking her time following him.  She’s already been round in here, I can tell as much from the inexplicable trail of pawprints in the filth from her brief sojourn sniffing the place out.

“All right, here we go.”  Tulen opens a small, stoppered phial and shakes a small handful of something out of it, then takes three large steps past me before throwing her hand out and opening her fingers at the end of it, speaking another incantation as she does it.  The fine red powder she releases into the air instantly seems to light up, and the moment after, as she blows hard through puffed lips, that flare brightens considerably.  A great cloud of warm golden energy spreads out around us, and quickly grows to expand throughout the majority of our immediate vicinity.

The effect, as it touches the spaces where the markings on the floor are, is impressive.  Suddenly they seem to somewhat solidify, as if glowing smoke could take on vaguely physical shapes, and structures begin to form around us.  And within the structures, less well seen and a good deal more amorphous, but still visible enough to recognise, are living forms.

People.  Dozens o’ people, maybe hundreds, given the size of the entire place.  Packed tight into boxy cages, walled with tight wire mesh.  And I even get the impression that there were, at one time at least, more’n a few guards patrolling the place as well, keeping an eye on ‘em all, and keeping ‘em in line.  Keeping ‘em quiet.

The image stays for a moment or so longer, enough for us to work out exactly what we’re looking at, then gravity seems to win out and the particles settle, the glowing ghost of the makeshift dungeon fading from sight again.  Finally I turn to regard Tulen, raising my brows in clear appreciation.  “Nice.”

“Jubivarro’s Revelation.  It’s quite rudimentary, really.  But most effective.”

“Right.”  I give Shay a look, and she just rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling a little as she starts to walk towards the back.  Moving with purpose now, and the way her smile don’t last long tells me she’s getting into the frame o’ mind to do some violence if she finds anything after all.

“Hold up!”  I call out after her, turning back to Lady Naru as she finally starts a leisurely climb up the ramp.  “You’re sure there’s nobody here?”

“I was quick, but thorough.  In truth there really wasn’t much ground left for me to cover.  Relatively speaking.”

It takes me a moment to get the particular gist of what she actually means by that, but finally I just shrug as I start moving after Shay after all.  “All right, well … just get the others in here.  But make sure you stress that we should be cautious anyway, just in case.  Yeah?”

“Of course.”  She’s already retrieving her length of sting, taking care as she unravels it again.

Breaking into a jog now, I take off after Shay, keeping my axes in hand since I’m still feeling paranoid after all that built-up anticipation.  Just cuz she thinks they’re all gone don’t mean they definitely ain’t.  There’s still something about this place, just … I dunno.  It gives me the creeps.

Shay finally starts to slow as she nears the rolling door, and as she approaches she starts to veer off to come up to it at a more oblique angle, where the door itself stands on its oversized rollers.  It’s a great hulking thing, almost tall as the ceiling itself, and I suspect it takes some serious effort to get it moving in the first place, built from particularly thick, solid oak planks banded with thick black bands of iron fastened in place with rivets big as an orc’s clenched fist.  There’s a five metre gap open, and through it I can make out some o’ the room beyond, my gaze immediately drawn to the relative gloom.  Well, mostly gloom …

Now I’m looking, there seems to be some subtle light inside, and I don’t reckon it’s coming from windows or just filtering through the open doorway from this larger chamber.  There’s a glow inside there, something cold blue that’s low enough it took me a moment to actually pick up on it.  But now I’m actually aware of it I reckon it might actually be growing brighter.  Which don’t exactly fill me with confidence.

“Shay, hold up.”

She don’t respond right away, instead moving in close beside the door and pausing for a moment to draw her sword before finally turning towards me.  She still doesn’t speak, she just gives me a somewhat closed, flinty look which nonetheless don’t feel like reproach.  Just expectation, but clearly guarded.

I just stop on the spot, giving her a look right back, then raise my right hand and, the best I can with the axe gripped in my hand, raise a finger to my lips to check her.  Then I wave towards her and do the best I can to indicate for her to stay put, ‘least until I’ve taken a look.  She’s a long time responding to that too, but finally nods, still stoic.

Pretty clear what that’s about.  She’s raring to get in there, given that so far this is proving to be a bust she wants to check out what’s left in the hope that there might be something left as a lead.  She’s desperate for a clue as I am, she wants to get Gael back so bad, they’ve really connected and she’s worried, but she’s fighting real hard to stay smart about it.  Keeping as tight a rein as she can on her emotions, and on her recklessness.  I know exactly how she’s feeling cuz I’m going through all that too.

Nodding back, I take a beat to suck in a steadying breath and adjust my grip on both my axes, keeping ‘em held low but still ready as I approach the gap in a stooped, cautious stalk.  Choosing my footing every step, taking my time as I concentrate on that open space between the door and the frame.  Watching out for the slightest hint there might be an actual threat on the other side.

Nothing jumps out at me though, and when I reach the edge of the door I take a deeper breath and hold it as I count down quick in my head, springing through on one and dropping into a tight defensive stance, ready in case I’m suddenly set upon.  Nothing happens to me, and I can’t perceive any threats, even when I quickly check the corner behind me, remembering the training da drummed into my head every time we worked on urban combat.  Even so, I’m slow relaxing enough the straighten up, and I’m similarly slow letting that breath out again.  Finally I step to the gap and wave through with my left-hand axe, beckoning Shay after me.

Then I toss the right-hand one down, letting it thunk good and hard into the floor so it sticks up ready as I slip the other one back into place over my shoulder and take a moment to cinch it in tight again.  By the time I’m repeating the process after yanking the other one free Shay’s already stepped through, sheathing her sword with a frustrated hiss once she’s taken in her surroundings.  After a beat I realise there’s someone stepping through after her, but don’t feel any alarm as I recognise Art.  He’s taking his hand off the hilt of his sword as he looks round, but in his case he looks more fretful than disappointed over what he's found.  Or rather what he ain’t.

There’s very little in here.  The floor in here’s wooden boards, but smoother and more sturdy than the decking of the docks outside, and nowhere near as dusty as the rest o’ this place.  There are a few scraps of furniture here and there, just an overturned table and two broken chairs scattered around the bottom of the far wall, and a vague, open ring of small, sagging half-rotted wooden crates.  These are arranged round the only real object of note in the whole room, a large circular seal drawn on the floor, which is glowing with a dull blue light I’m now convinced is getting brighter as I watch it.

I’m about to turn and remark on it to Shay when I hear a great rending crash outside.  I barely even stiffen, already knowing full well what that is even without hearing the heavy, leaden footfalls as Driver 8 now making his way into the building after tearing his way right through the front doors, and the others will be right behind him.  Well, I did tell him to come in strong, and in truth I really don’t care too much about any actual damage done to this place while we’re here.  So I just puff out my cheeks with a sharp exhale and carry on.

“What d’you reckon that’s about?”

Shay don’t answer right away, she simply steps towards it, hand coming to rest on her sword again as she frowns down at it.  “I’m not sure.  It looks like one of those teleportation circles, like Gael and the others in the Order uses, but …”  She shrugs.  “Honestly, I’m not the expert.  But I am pretty sure it shouldn’t be doing that.”

“All right, well don’t get too close, then.”  I step back towards the door now, looking out through the gap as I see the rest of our group starting to look round the interior.  I turn to Art.  “Can you get Tulen in here?”

“Her specific, or just –”

“Either of the mages’d be helpful, but I reckon she’s probably more clued up on whatever this is.  Make your own call.”

The look he gives me is very sharp, but I’ve already realised I answered a whole lot shorter than I intended too.  He starts to snap back too but stops himself, his frown darkening considerably instead, and I let out a heavy sigh filled with regret for having hit him with that right now.  But before I can apologise he’s already turning away and stalking back through the gap to reach the others, so I swear under my breath:  “Shit.”

“Yeah, I agree.”  Shay’s giving me a look which is one part critical but two parts worried, looks like.  “That was awfully sharp.”

“I’m scared for Gael too, it’s getting me all kinds o’ worked up, I can’t stop myself.  This is …”  I turn again, casting about as I sweep my arm across the strange glowing … whatever it is.  “I dunno.  I was really hoping that –”

“I know.  So was I.”  She steps up close to my side, then leans in to give me a very gentle nudge.  “Gael is … they’re tough, I’ve seen it, they are so strong, but I’m so scared for them with that … monster.  This isn’t any easier for me.”

Letting out an even deeper sigh, I lean into her side too, and after a moment I feel her snake her arm round my back so she can give me a good, tight, comforting squeeze.  It’s nice, it helps, so I don’t feel too self-conscious when I let my head settle on her shoulder.  Any other time this could almost make me feel … I dunno –

There’s a heavy crunch behind us and I jump, springing away from Shay as I turn, and she’s reacting too, I realise.  A moment later the door is slid hard to the side, with a particular roughness that makes it somewhat screech as it barely manages to stay on its rollers, and when it finally stops I suspect it’s good and wedged.  Big Man’s already ducking a little so he can peer through the doorway, and while his head don’t move I know he’s scanning the whole room now.  A beat after Tulen comes striding in, her eyes already widening a little as she looks past us, instantly focusing on the seal, and she moves right past us approaching it.

Turning to Shay again, I raise my brows.  “Well that says something, don’t it?”

“My sensors are still dead.”  Big Man’s eyes are blazing right now, telling me he’s staring intently at the seal himself.  “I cannot make out anything that is not within my visual or auditory range.  The entire building seems to be a hotspot for this effect.”

Shay’s own brows shoot up at that.  “You were saying?”

“Is it coming from that?”  I step towards Tulen now, as she drops into a crouch just a step short of it, leaning in close as she reaches out, but stops short of actually touching the glowing lines and sigils.

“I am afraid I cannot tell.  As I said, my sensory capabilities have been severely impacted.”

Nodding as much for his benefit as my peace of mind, I hunker down next to the wizard just as Lady Naru sweeps into the room herself, already making a beeline for the same spot, while Shay’s hanging back now.  Seems she’s more content to watch from a safe distance, and right now can’t say I blame her.

Now I’m close, I realise the glow ain’t actually getting brighter, it’s pulsing, throbbing with a subtle ebb and flow of bright and dim, but never so much that it becomes dark.  The blue’s mostly like Gael’s own, but now that I can really get up close I see there’s the subtlest tinge of green in it too, turning it a little turquoise maybe.

“Is it supposed to glow like that?”

“Not really, no.”  Tulen’s frowning at it, again reaching out but not quite making contact, instead just letting her fingers brush through the air an inch or so above the lines.  The glow seems to brighten ever so slightly where she seems to be making her near-contact, before returning to its current intensity … now that’s interesting.  “It’s like a teleportation circle, but … some of these glyphs don’t fit.  It doesn’t switch off acter it’s been used, it just stays open.”

“Wait …”  I turn to look her directly in the eye now, unable to contain myself.  That sounds so promising.  “Could we actually use this?”

“Use it?”  Shay must forget her discomfort now, instead stepping close.  “You’re sure about that?  If we tried going to … wherever this goes, I mean … wouldn’t we be jumping through completely blind?  We’d have no idea where we’re going, or what would actually be waiting for us.  I mean this whole place already feels like a trap …”

“No, I don’t think we could do that anyway.”  Tulen’s still gantly probing the circle, her frown increasing.  “Some of these glyphs are very strange indeed, I don’t recognise this one at all.”  She points out a particularly complicated squiggle drawn amongst those lining the outermost ring.  “Then there are others which, by rights, shouldn’t even be in the same circle together.  Not if they wanted anyone to survive the journey.  Honestly I really don’t understand it.”

Shay straightens up again, placing her hands on her hips as she shuffles her feet.  “Then what good is it?  What’s this Tavarrat playing at?”

“There could be ways to actually make this work.”  Lady Naru offers up, and when I look up she’s leaning into her staff again, soberly pondering the design.  “Tavarrat is, apparently, a former Order mage, and from what we’ve been told an especially accomplished one.  There is no reason for her to construct a magical device that would prove to be entirely non-functional.  Perhaps this requires some additional means to function as intended.  A key, or a specific tone or code phrase, which would unlock those glyphs which are unfamiliar to our most learned expert here.”

Tulen blinks up at her, seeming surprised by the casual ease of the compliment, as if it’s just matter-of-fact.  “Um … you think …”  She looks down now, frowning again, growing ponderous.  “Hmmm … actually, yes, that could … you might be onto something there.  The seal would be locked until triggered.  Until then, even though it’s clearly active, the magic would be restricted and lie dormant, and we wouldn’t be able to access it.”

“So this is pretty much useless to us then, cuz we ain’t got this key or whatever it is?”  I venture, catching a glimpse of Krakka starting to approach now through the corner of my eye.

“Not necessarily … I might be able to get a more passive reading from the seal since it’s still active.”  She settles back on her haunches, reaching across to open her components bag again and starting to fish through it.  “If I can, I might be able to tell where they went.”

Krakka steps in now, and when I hear the thump of Bloodmoon on the boards beside me I look up at him.  He’s breathing pretty heavy, clearly winded by the journey, and stays doubled over for several moments, sucking air in as he pants away.  “Oh … damn it … I really am getting too old for this.”

“What … did you run all the way?”  I cock a brow as I glance up at Lady Naru.  “Didn’t you say that it was safe in here?”

“No, that was just … me.”  Krakka uses Bloodmoon’s shaft to push himself a bit more upright and looks me over.  “I heard you said it was essentially a bust and I had to take a look for myself.  Big Man was already moving by then, so I …”  He shrugs.  “I was being foolish.”

“Lot o’ that going round, right now.”  I sigh  “Can’t blame you for it too.”

Catching sight o’ Tulen finally taking something out her satchel through the corner of my eye, I turn back as she un-stoppers a tiny metal flask before very gently shaking three drops out onto the tips of her fingers.  She’s very specific about the measurements, I notice.  Then, Instead of trying to juggle while she’s still holding her other hand up, she holds the flask out and, after a moment, Shay reaches out and takes it from her, frowning a little.  Then she spits into the palm of her other hand with a slightly sheepish look and presses the carefully oiled fingers into it, then starts rubbing the mixture between both palms.  Finally she starts speaking a low string of tonal words and starts weaving her hands back and forth around each other in a kind of circular dance, rather than drawing a sigil like I expected.

Just as I’m about to look up at Lady Naru with a questioning expression, Tulen finally spreads her hands out and pushes them forward, speaking a final incantation at the same moment, and the air above the circle seems to ripple, like a pond after you toss in a pebble.  At the same time I see the subtlest flaring in Tulen’s striking amber eyes, like she’s seeing something new.  She continues to frown as she looks down at the seal again, but this time with the intensity of deep, intrigued concentration.

As she does this, I push myself back up to standing, wanting to take some of the strain off my thighs and knees directly.  As I take a step back I stretch a little more than strictly necessary with each movement, working on limbering while I do it, and give my back a little stretch too as I turn to Shay.  She’s just watching Tulen with a particularly tense expression, arms tightly folded across her chest, more worked up than ever now.  Banking on this working even more’n I am.

Krakka’s leaning forward again, still using his hammer to prop himself up, but I can tell he’s simple giving this whole business the same close, critical regard as Shay.  Or … no, not the process itself.  The circle.  Like he’s suspicious of it.  That don’t surprise me too much.  He’s a cleric, he’s sensitive to fell magic and the like, so he’s trying to sniff out anything genuinely dangerous here.

I’m about to lean in and ask if he’s picking up any particularly bad vibes when I catch Tulen rocking back on her haunches again, frowning deeper than ever as she turns my way.  I wheel about to regard her, a little faster than strictly necessary, kinda desperate for some answers.  “What’s up?”

“I’m not … I can’t sense anything here.  There’s no homing address in here anymore, it’s almost like the whole thing’s been scrubbed clean.  The circle’s still active, but … it shouldn’t be.  Without a destination this whole thing should be inert.”

“Kesla …”  Krakka mutters now, but I only just register it, I’m still too focused on Tulen and this strange revelation.  Whatever the hell it actually means.

“Are you saying this thing is … I don’t get it.  If it should be a dud then why’s it working at all?”

“Do you think it might have something to do with these strange glyphs?”  Lady Naru suggests, leaning forward now to take a closer look.

“That would seem to track, but …”  Tulen reaches up, likely intending to brush her hair from her face, but stops herself short as she remembers she has something smeared on her hands.  “Oh, um … I’m not sure.  I mean, that alone shouldn’t be enough, I –”

“Kesla.”  Krakka prompts again, a god deal more insistent this time, and this time I wake up to it.

“What is it?”

He’s opened one of the crates, I realise, I must’ve been so caught up I didn’t even notice.  When I lean over I see it’s filled with … well, I don’t know what it is, really.  It just looks like junk.  Old nails and bolts and screws, washers and scraps of rusty, broken metal.  “Something’s very wrong here.”

“What … I don’t get it, what’s this even here for?”  My skin goes icy cold as I feel the goosebumps rising, setting it crawling now, and I feel the dull shiver riding up my spine as the weight of his words hit home.  Something about the boxes … I dunno, it’s suspicious, Krakka’s right, it’s got alarm bells ringing.

“The light … that pulsing …”  Shay grips my shoulder now, grabbing my attention.  “Is it just me, or is it getting faster?”

Turning back, I look at the circle again, and I don’t need more’n a glance to see what she’s getting at.  The glow of the lines ain’t flashing, ‘least not yet, but it’s sure on a slow approach to some kinda strobe effect now, I can pick that up clear as day.  I take a step back, I can’t help it, my body just reacting all on its own without needing any input from my brain.  “Oh … yeah.  Um … Tulen, what …”

Leaning closer still, she reaches out again, and this time was she passes her hand over it the air seems to … honestly, it’s a strange kind of distortion, almost a subtle tearing in fact.  Then there’s a low, fatty hissing sound and a brief flare and she pulls her hand back, toppling over onto her arse as she overbalances.  As she shakes her hand and starts blowing on it with a grimacing curse I can see the skin of her palm is smoking a little now.  “Ow, that …”

“Shit!”  Shay’s dropping to one knee at her side immediately, reaching for her hand in order to look it over for herself.

“What the fuck was that?”  I check myself before rushing forward, the implications behind what just happened already becoming clear.

“Minerva …”  Tulen hisses through gritted teeth while Shay starts blowing on her palm, looking genuinely shocked by what she sees.  She’s been proper burned, the somewhat leathery skin angrily blistered, and even as Shay works to cool it it’s still smoking.  “Oh, that smarts … I was … damn it, this is so wrong.  Krakka’s right, I think this is a trap.”  She blinks up at me now, her eyes suddenly very wide.  “We need to get out of here now.”

“I don’t understand, what are you –”

“The fucking thing’s going to blow up!”  Krakka drags his hammer up with one hand and grabs hold of my arm with the other, starting to tow me towards the door.  In this moment I’m really not with it so I find myself going without resistance.  Oh shit … now the crates make sense.  If every one of ‘em is just packed with rusty pieces of metal, then … gods, that’s just cruel.  If that thing blows up and shreds the boxes, their contents’ll fly out in all directions with deadly force.   They’re designed to tear apart any soft targets that are close enough to take a hit.  It’s monstrous.

“But what about –”

“There’s no time!”  Lady Naru’s already gotten hold of Shay, I see, but she’s resisting, working to shrug the sorcerer off.  The noblewoman’s showing surprising forcefulness in maintaining her hold.  “We can’t be anywhere near this when it goes off!”

I shrug Krakka’s grip off now and stalk back to Tulen, who’s still on her backside, looking down at the seal again.  Like she’s still trying to solve the puzzle.  She don’t resist me when I grab hold of her arm and drag her to her feet.  “Come on, time to go!”

“It doesn’t make any sense –”

“Tulen!”  I give her arm a good hard yank and start dragging her now.  “We gotta go!”

When I give her burned hand a squeeze for good measure she finally snaps out of it, letting out a somewhat winded scream and yanking her arm away from me at last, looking at me like I’m some kind of monster.  “Fuck!  You didn’t … oh …”

Behind her the seal’s already flashing with a particular urgency, and I suspect this means the time we got left could be counted in mere seconds now.  And suddenly I realise the main problem.  “Fuck … Tulen, just port as many out as you can!  Naru, you too!  Do it now!”

Lady Naru frowns at me for a beat, as if she doesn’t understand what I mean, then her eyes widen too and she grabs hold of Krakka’s arm.  Behind ‘em I can see Art’s already got hold of Darwyn and he’s bolting hard across the floor of the room outside, cradling her in his arms with Zuldrad hot on their heels.  I reckon the sorcerer’s made that same connection cuz when she speaks her incantation she’s already focused on both of ‘em, likely intending to jump right into their midst and port everybody out.

Krakka’s starting to protest as they vanish, and I know he’s thinking about Driver 8, but the golem ain’t moving, he’s still leaning in through the doorway watching us all.  I can’t read him any better now but it’s clear enough he’s genuinely worried for us.  I just take a step towards him and wave him off.  “Go, now!  Fast as you can, get outta here!”

“What are you –”  Shay’s towing Tulen towards the doorway now, even while she’s watching me her own wide eyes.

“He’s too heavy to port!”  I wave at him again, trying to shoo him like a cat, and even now it feels vaguely ridiculous.  “Just go!”

He still just stands there, tilting somewhat at the waist but still fully focused on me, I know.  “I will not leave you –”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake –”  I start to stomp towards him just as I feel Shay’s steely fingers fix a genuinely painful grip on my left arm, just below the pauldron, and in the same moment I feel more than hear when Tulen speaks the incantation.  It’s instantly followed by that strange, deeply unpleasant pulling, falling sensation, and my stomach seems to drop quicker than anything else cuz I don’t have time to hold my breath or close my eyes this time, knowing I’m gonna throw up the moment I land.

Except that at the exact same moment, very close by, there’s a great blast of heat and a deafening crack of booming thunder, and all the wind’s knocked right outta me as something hits me hard in the back, something hot and fast and very sharp which I feel even through the steel o’ my half-plate.  So when I’m suddenly yanked away by the spell it’s almost like I just go away entirely, everything goes blank and I switch off …

TO BE CONTINUED ...

#never split the party #The Creeping Bam #the adventures of the creeping bam #book 3 chapter 26 #original fiction #fantasy fiction #original fantasy fiction #to be continued

[miss-celestial-being]

just finished a chapter!! ✌️

#next chapters gonna be set on the ark #idk why i do this to myself but whatever #at least the book will be interesting #and i did the math and if it takes 2 days to finish a chapter then itll only take 26 days to finish 13 chapters and that abt how many i need #7 + 13 is 20 and id say thats a good number of chapters for volume one #like to cover two separate stories #3 if you count the grounder pounder story #(ngl i might delete my grounder character) #(so it may only be 19 chapters but thats ok too) #boredbeestalk #angel of death

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

by Pastor Nat Crawford | With great compassion, many tears, and at great personal cost, Jeremiah faithfully warned the people of Judah to repent and turn back to the Lord. He told them that God had promised to send the Babylonians to punish their nation. He did this for 40 years despite facing serious opposition. Sadly, the people ignored him and persisted in their idolatry, immorality, and...

#Back to the Bible #Your Daily Forward Devotional #Pastor Nat Crawford #The Saddest Chapter In The Book #Lamentations 3:21-26 #May 30 #2022 #backtothebible.app

[hellsitegenetics]

Blast the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1 from the Bible so we can finally know what was the first creature God created.

[1:1] In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,

[1:2] the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

[1:3] Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

[1:4] And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

[1:5] God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

[1:6] And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

[1:7] So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.

[1:8] God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

[1:9] And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.

[1:10] God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

[1:11] Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.

[1:12] The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.

[1:13] And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

[1:14] And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,

[1:15] and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so.

[1:16] God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars.

[1:17] God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,

[1:18] to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

[1:19] And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

[1:20] And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."

[1:21] So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

[1:22] God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

[1:23] And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

[1:24] And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so.

[1:25] God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

[1:26] Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

[1:27] So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

[1:28] God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

[1:29] God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

[1:30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.

[1:31] God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

String identified:

[1:1] t gg G cat t a a t at,

[1:2] t at a a a a c t ac t , a G t t ac t at.

[1:3] T G a, "t t gt"; a t a gt.

[1:4] A G a tat t gt a g; a G aat t gt t a.

[1:5] G ca t gt a, a t a ca gt. A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:6] A G a, "t t a t t t at, a t t aat t at t at."

[1:7] G a t a aat t at tat t t at tat a t . A t a .

[1:8] G ca t . A t a g a t a g, t c a.

[1:9] A G a, "t t at t gat tgt t ac, a t t a aa." A t a .

[1:10] G ca t a at, a t at tat gat tgt ca a. A G a tat t a g.

[1:11] T G a, "t t at t t gtat: at g , a t t at tat a t t t t." A t a .

[1:12] T at gt t gtat: at g , a t ag t t t t. A G a tat t a g.

[1:13] A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:14] A G a, "t t gt t t t aat t a t gt; a t t g a a a a a a,

[1:15] a t t gt t t t g gt t at." A t a .

[1:16] G a t t gat gt - t gat gt t t a a t gt t t gt - a t ta.

[1:17] G t t t t t g gt t at,

[1:18] t t a a t gt, a t aat t gt t a. A G a tat t a g.

[1:19] A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:20] A G a, "t t at g t a g cat, a t a t at ac t t ."

[1:21] G cat t gat a t a g cat tat , , t c t at a, a g . A G a tat t a g.

[1:22] G t, ag, " t a t a t at t a, a t t t at."

[1:23] A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:24] A G a, "t t at g t g cat : catt a cg tg a aa t at ." A t a .

[1:25] G a t aa t at , a t catt , a tg tat c t g . A G a tat t a g.

[1:26] T G a, "t a a ag, accg t ; a t t a t t a, a t t a, a t catt, a a t aa t at, a cg tg tat c t at."

[1:27] G cat a ag, t ag G cat t; a a a cat t.

[1:28] G t, a G a t t, " t a t, a t at a t; a a t t a a t t a a g tg tat t at."

[1:29] G a, ", a g at g tat t ac a t at, a t t t t; a a t .

[1:30] A t at t at, a t t a, a t tg tat c t at, tg tat a t at , a g g at ." A t a .

[1:31] G a tg tat a a, a , t a g. A t a g a t a g, t t a.

Closest match: Naumovozyma dairenensis CBS 421 chromosome 11, complete genome Common name: Budding yeast

(I could not find an image of this organism, so here is an image of Naumovozyma castellii instead.)

#tumblr genetics #genetics #asks #requests #sent to me #christianity #yeast #long post #such a massive post for absolutely no payoff LMAO

[seraphinitegames]

The Wayhaven Chronicles - Update 26/April/2024

Lots happening this week!

The edits and bug testing came back, so I’ll be starting on that! I know the demo is later than I’d hoped due to—still ongoing and super annoying!—internet issues, but at least the editing process is going as smoothly as I was hoping so no one is getting too overwhelmed!

Once those edits go in, I’ll send them out to my  next readers and sensitivity readers, then it’ll be ready to go!

And speaking of the demo, I thought you guys might like to see the logo for Book Four!

Super awesome, right? :D Really had a very clear idea of what Book Four’s logo was going to be, and Nai took it on board and smashed it as always!

And I was also smashing through chapter two this week! I am well ahead of myself on schedule, which is always a good feeling, lol! And because I was so ahead, I decided to add in an extra bigger choice set to add some variation to this somewhat linear chapter. It might be setting up the story, but that doesn’t mean the MC can’t have different ways to deal with how that happens!

So yeah, it’s been a busy week of some exciting developments, hehe! :D

Next week, I’ll be getting those edits in, sending off the demo section for final read overs, and then getting back to Chapter Two. It will also be social media days somewhere in between that, where I hope the internet will actually play ball long enough I can get asks done, as well as all the fun things coming up on Patreon! ;D

Hope you all have the most amazing weekend! We’ll be offline as usual, so I’ll update you all again next week <3

#the wayhaven chronicles #interactive fiction #romance #vampires #update #twc book 4 #logo reveal #cover reveal #choice of games #hosted games #choicescript #the wayhaven chronicles book 4

[staytinyville]

Stay Alive Masterlist

" Came like a Miracle, Look like a miracle, Just like Miracle, Those few words...."

Synopsis: When you started working at a pharmaceutical company, you didn’t realize where it was your life was heading. After getting a patient mix up, you meet seven men who would didn’t seem to want any other nurse that wasn’t you. When you start to know them, you notice things that made you question if they were really human. No matter what excuse they would give though, you would always go home with a heavy heart. The day the truth is revealed to you, things take a turn for the worst.

Pairings: BTS poly!ot7 x Reader

Genre: Mystical Creatures AU, Fluff, Romance, Angst, Fantasy

Warnings: Smut in future chapters, toxic work environment, abuse

Taglist: I have decided to write smut chapters. However it’s just one per member. Maybe some things here and there. With that being said. I will not have a taglist on those chapters for fear of having minors tagged. My books are mostly for a general audience because smut isn’t my main writing. However with the very small number of chapters I will probably do, it’s best to not tag anyone. I understand some of you have ages but I don’t want to struggle with picking out each adult blog. Thank you for understanding.

A/N

(1) -- (2) -- (3) -- (4) -- (5)

(6) -- (7) -- (8) -- (9) -- (10)

(11) -- (12) -- (13) -- (14) -- (15)

(16) -- (17) -- (18) -- (19) -- (20)

(21) -- (22) -- (23) -- (24) -- (25)

(26) -- (27) -- (28) -- (29) -- (30)

(31) -- (32) -- (33) -- (34) -- (35)

(36) -- (37) -- (38) -- (39) -- (40)

(41) -- (42) -- (43) -- (44) -- (45)

(46) -- (47) -- (48) -- (49) -- (50)

" Those few words that saved me I'll be by your side after many nights..."

Taglist is officially closed!

#bts fanfic #bts army #bts #bts jungkook #bts jimin #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #run bts #namjoon #jimin #taehyung #bts v #bts jin #yoongi #hoseok #jhope #hobi #jung hoseok #bts namjoon #bts jung hoseok #bts jungguk #kpop fanfic #jungkook #bts jhope #bts hobi #park jimin #jimin bts #bts taehyung #bts imagines #bts smut

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Link 1, Link 2 :)

Digital Good Omens 2 Sountrack is coming out in 4 days! 🥳 CD version in October! :) ❤ Coming soon on vinyl…

Out to Stream/Download from 25th August. Out on CD 13th October. Coming soon on vinyl…

David Arnold’s ‘end of the world’ complex and multi-genre soundtrack.

From the Award-winning composer of Sherlock and Casino Royale comes a follow up to the hugely successful, Emmy nominated Good Omens soundtrack.

Good Omens series 2 premiered on Prime Video on 28th July. The series follows the odd couple, angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in their quest to sabotage the end of the World. The six-episode sequel to the popular adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, concerns the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) arriving without his memories to Aziraphale’s bookshop. Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to find out what happened to Gabriel, whilst hiding him from Heaven and Hell, both eager to find him.

The Soundtrack

David Arnold’s soundtrack to Good Omens was first released in 2019 to favourable reviews, with BBC Music Magazine calling it “a rollicking trip to hell and back”. Blueprint Magazine described it as “a great listen” and Sci Fi Bulletin commented on “plenty of memorable themes” to conclude that “This is another work of art from Arnold”. At times nostalgic and eerie but always varied, beautiful and full of excitement, the Good Omens 2 soundtrack showcases Arnold’s every skill from his composer arsenal. Featured here are orchestral arrangements with sprinkling of Sugar Plum Fairy pizzicato and percussion, jaunty strings and mighty choral sweeps from Crouch End Festival Chorus. Added to the mix are rock guitar riffs, and psychedelic 70s sounds and all together they create a haunting otherworldly feel, complementing the fantasy and the quirky humour of the show. The spirited Waltz of the opening theme is also present in the second series and it wonderfully sets the scene for fantastical mayhem. In series 2, this robust, evocative, and funny music entity, becomes yet again another character in the story. Award-winning composer David Arnold is well known for his blockbuster scores, including Stargate, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Hot Fuzz, Paul, Independence Day, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Casino Royale as well as for his TV work such as Sherlock and Dracula. Also available: The original soundtrack to the first series of Good Omens >

Tracklist

– Disc 1 – Chapter 1: The Arrival 1. Before the Beginning 2. Good Omens 2 Opening Title 3. Into Soho 4. Something Terrible 5. To The Bookshop 6. Maggie and Nina 7. He’s Smoking 8. Tiny Miracle 9. Heavenly Alarm Bells Chapter 2: The Clue 10. Avaunt! 11. The Song is the Clue 12. It’s What God Wants 13. A Mighty Wind 14. Whales 15. Gabriel Returns 16. His New Children 17. Am I Awful Now? 18. Fallen Angel Chapter 3: I Know Where I’m Going 19. Police Arrive 20. Scotland 21. We’re Going to Hell 22. People Get a Choice 23. My Car is Not Yellow 24. Beelzebub in Hell 25. The Book 26. The Fly 27. Mr. Dalrymple 28. We Need to Cut 29. I’m Going to Save Her 30. Crowley Goes Large 31. Not Kind 32. Beelzebub Isn’t Happy – Disc 2 – Chapter 4: The Hitchhiker 33. Hell-O 34. Nazi Zombies 35. March of the Nazi Zombies 36. Crowley Pep Talk 37. The Magic Shop 38. Catch The Bullet 39. Zombies in the Dressing Room Chapter 5: The Ball 40. I’ll Let You Have It 41. We’re Storming a Book Shop 42. Monsieur Azirophale 43. The Candelabra 44. Here Comes Hell 45. Gabriel Gives Himself Up 46. Shax 47. The Circle Chapter 6: Every Day 48. Bin Through the Window 49. Gabriel Leaving Heaven 50. The Halo 51. Gabriel Revealed 52. Gabriel’s Love Story 53. Leaving The Bookshop 54. Gabriel and Beelzebub 55. Crowley and Muriel 56. I Forgive You 57. Don’t Bother 58. The Biggest Decision 59. The End?

#good omens #gos2 #season 2 #GOS2Spoilers #good omens spoilers #music #s2 music #david g arnold #s2 soundtrack #wahoo! #shut up and take my money :D

[itachi86]

welp that series is over to me it had as i predicted the ending that i did not want to sila’s story so i quit

#book things #criminal intentions series #thoughts #i skipped the entire last few chapters #of book 26 #because i didn't want sila to get caught or die #and he got caught #so i'm not reading 'season 3'

[robins-egg-bindery]

Windows by @drgrlfriend

Derek has a new neighbor who won't stop looking.

fic by @drgrlfriend

art by @maichan808 & @andavs-main

368 pages / 83,266 words

Title Font: PP Hatton

Body Fonts: Cardo, Geo

HAPPY FFWAD!!! Thank you @renegadepublishing for putting on this event in celebration!

More on the process below the cut!

I'm so excited to be posting this book! Super grateful @drgrlfriend was so down to let me bind Windows for Fan Fiction Writer Appreciation Day. This is one of my all-time favs, and I was thrilled to give it the treatment it deserves! @maichan808 & @andavs-main were also incredibly kind to allow me to include their stunning art pieces in the book <3 And thank you @renegadepublishing for putting this event together!

I wanted the typeset to be visually interesting and move around the page, without making it difficult to read. I created unique headers for each of the 28 chapters with royalty free art, and varied placement on the page in six different configurations. I also played with the text warp to make the text work as part of the image - one of my favorites is chapter 26, "Banshee", pictured above!

I used Brick duo for this bind, as part of the vision for the front cover, which was done in silver permanent vinyl. I think the rich rust color is perfect for how I would imagine Stiles & Derek's apartment building, and the silver is incredibly reflective - my favorite part is how the vinyl catches the light on the spine, and can reflect "Windows" on whatever surface it's on (pictured above). That's not an added effect, it's just doing that!

I did @tankbredgrunt's faux double-core headband with some Sulky Gutermann I bought at a secondhand store for $0.25, and it's so pretty! A bit thin to work with, but totally worth it for the multi-color effect it gives off.

And I finally got a proper crisp hinge! I think it really brings the whole book together, thank you knitting needles (even though you were a pain in the ass).

This project also marks my 100th book! I'm rapidly approaching the two year mark of my fanbinding career with no sign of stopping; thank you to this entire community, and all of the fandoms I've been able to bring this hobby to. I love how cross-fandom it is; and for an old floater like me, it's wonderful to bring all of my interests together and have something that transcends those lines.

HAPPY FAN FICTION WRITER APPRECIATION DAY!

#fanbinding #bookbinding #fanfic binding #fanficbinding #me myself and i #fanfic #ficbinding #renegade publishing #teen wolf #derek hale #sterek fic #sterek #stiles x derek #stiles stilinski #derek x stiles #drgrlfriend #ffwad #fanficwriterappreciationday #renegadelovesfic

[abysseung]

SOULMATE ‘❗️’ TRACKER — n. rk.

SCAMMERS… TRACKERS NEED TO LOVE TOO BUT NEVER SCAM ABOUT SOULMATES, YOUR SOULMATE COULD BE A VICTIM

・❥・After one lesson in soulmate mythology, you couldn’t help but figure out who your soulmate is. You’ve read books and articles yet you couldn’t find the love of your life. You nearly gave up until you encountered a business called “Soulmate Tracker.” You wasted all your money on this business and to your surprise, your soulmate was the one person you never wished for.

CHECK OUT … soulmate dilemma !

PAIRING ➸ enemy!niki x fem!reader

GENRE ➸ smau, crack, fluff, highschool au, soulmate au, enemies 2 lovers

WARNINGS ➸ profanity & scamming; each chapter has its warning

FEATURING ➸ enhypen eunchae of lesserafim liz of ive theo of p1harmony

NOTE ➸ THIS SMAU IS PURE FICTION, ALL THE IDOLS MENTIONED IN THIS DO NOT REFLECT WITH THEIR ACTUAL LIFE AND CAREER. THIS IS A NON-IDOL ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE

STATUS ➸ completed

↳ START ➸ 11/27/22

↳ END ➸ 03/02/23

AUTHORS NOTE ➸ omfg i’m finally making a fanfic for the loml. i felt like making an e2l enha smau so here i am. pls support this fic and enjoy !! (i always wanted to make an e2ls and there arent much niki e2l smaus) SONA SPEAKING !! (PLEASE READ) i changed my url but im afraid i can’t update the links bc tumblr isn’t letting me 😞 i will let u guys know that i update the links once tumblr lets me but for now please read st through the tags and hope that i’ll change the links soon :) thank you <3

TAGLIST ➸ taglist is closed thank you for the support !

☆ playlist — « unbelievable like tv ; a world of you and me »

PLEASE DO NOT SPAM LIKE :) SPAM REBLOGS = OK! ; SPAM LIKE = BLOCK!

PROFILES ➸ relationship status: single❗️soulmate scammers

STEP 01 — soulmate wya

STEP 02 — destiny

STEP 03 — unprofessional fr

STEP 04 — tf does that mean

STEP 05 — screaming rn

STEP 06 — biddy buddy

STEP 07 — furry allegations

STEP 08 — no social skills = no soulmate

STEP 09 — insert oh my reference

STEP 10 — not funny, did not laugh

STEP 11 — isn’t that…illegal?? 😨

STEP 12 — wanna know something cool

STEP 13 — jaw dropping rn

STEP 14 — evil laughs

STEP 15 — strings attached

STEP 16 — prayed for my downfall

STEP 17 — hands in head

STEP 18 — government name

STEP 19 — heeseung ftw

STEP 20 — soulmate tracker 2.0

STEP 21 — giggling my toes off

STEP 22 — HEESEUNG MOVE

STEP 23 — shitting my pants

STEP 24 — #firstdate #hearteyes

STEP 25 — jump if u enjoy my pain

STEP 26 — i sorry very

STEP 27 — painful to watch

STEP 28 — character development

STEP 29 — scammer x victim

LAST STEP — ummm what 🙈

#niki #enhypen niki #💘 : soulmate tracker #enhypen #niki x reader #niki fluff #niki smau #niki imagines #niki scenarios #niki fanfic #niki ff #niki fanfiction #niki fic #enhypen x reader #enhypen fic #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen fanfic #enhypen ff #enhypen fluff #enhypen smau #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #kpop #kpop smau #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop fanfic #kpop ff #kpop fanfiction #pooie

[untaemedqueen]

Finding My Pack Masterlist

Alpha!OT7 & Omega!Reader

Genre: Fated Mates, Omegaverse, Smut, Angst, Fluff

Series Warnings: Omega Abuse (Not By OT7), Fated Mates/Soulmates, Scent Sympathy, Sunshine!FMC, Knotting, Smut, MMMMMMMF, MMMF, MMF, MF, Breeding Kink, Cursing, Dom!OT7, Sub!Reader

This book can be found on Patreon. A chapter is released every Sunday!

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 9.

Chapter 10.

Chapter 11.

Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

Chapter 15.

Chapter 16.

Chapter 17.

Chapter 18.

Chapter 19.

Chapter 20.

Chapter 21.

Chapter 22.

Chapter 23.

Chapter 24.

Chapter 25.

Chapter 26.

Chapter 27.

Chapter 28.

Chapter 29.

Chapter 30.

Chapter 31.

Chapter 32.

Pack Appreciation Day (Thanksgiving Special)

Chapter 33.

Chapter 34.

Chapter 35.

Chapter 36.

Merry Maker Day (Christmas Special)

Chapter 37.

Chapter 38.

Chapter 39.

Chapter 40.

Chapter 41.

Chapter 42.

Chapter 43.

Chapter 44.

Chapter 45.

Chapter 46.

Chapter 47.

Chapter 48.

Chapter 49.

Chapter 50.

#fmp #finding my pack #omegaverse #ot7 x reader #alpha!ot7 #omega!fmc #omega!reader

[amateurvoltaire]

Recently, after quite a few years, I’ve been skimming through the Twelve Who Ruled, and one thing that really jumped out at me is Palmer's massive crush on Saint-Just. Seriously, a lot of the times when Saint-Just shows up in the book, the descriptions turn almost poetic... Take Chapter 3, for instance. Here, Saint-Just is likened to a shooting star, his striking handsomeness and youth are noted several times, and at one point, the word demigod makes an appearance.

It gets even more obvious when Palmer contrasts him with Robespierre. Poor Maximilien—if it weren't for his undeniable kindness and sincerity, he'd surely be losing the battle.

But was Palmer correct?

Did Saint-Just really patronise Robespierre?

Various accounts suggest as much. Levasseur, in his memoirs, observes, "Robespierre has always been perceived as the head of the revolutionary government. Having been a close witness to those times, I might venture to assert that Saint-Just wielded more influence than Robespierre himself." He further notes, "Closely allied with Robespierre, he had become indispensable to him, and perhaps he had become more feared than he would have preferred to be loved. Their opinions were invariably unified, and if the personal beliefs of one were to be subordinated to those of the other, certainly, it was not Saint-Just who conceded."

Sainte-Beuve(1) shares a telling anecdote: during a heated committee meeting, Saint-Just ordered Robespierre, "Calm yourself; the empire favours the phlegmatic." (« Calme-toi donc, l’empire est au flegmatique. »)

Moreover, another Convention member, Baudot, reflects in his memoirs that Saint-Just possessed "a mind far stronger and more commanding than Robespierre's." (« une tête bien autrement forte et plus puissante que Robespierre»)

So... while 'patronizing' might be a strong term, it does seem that Saint-Just's personality was more domineering. In my view, he was undoubtedly more pragmatic than the Incorruptible, owing largely to his military experience and missions in the field. Saint-Just was a man of action while Robespierre was more a man of the tribune. Coupled with the uncompromising nature typical of youth (who wasn't a radical at 26?), this would likely have rendered him more authoritarian and rigid in the eyes of his contemporaries.

Note:

Sainte-Beuve isn’t a particularly reliable source, but the anecdote seemed interesting.

Sources:

R.R Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled

Sainte-Beuve; Sainte-Beuve, Charles-Augustin. (1865) Causeries du lundi. Tome V (3e éd.) « Études sur Saint-Just, par M. Édouard Fleury.

M.A. Baudot, Notes historiques

R. Levasseur, Mémoires

#frev #french revolution #robespierre #saint just #maximilien robespierre #antoine saint just

[f1letters]

f1letters' formula 1 fic recs - pt. 1

✨ SURPRISE! ✨ as an early Christmas gift for all of you, and since I will be continuing the 'midnights' series during the holiday season as well, I decided to make a small list with some of my all-time favourite stories!

I tried to include a variety of different drivers to the best of my ability, which was harder than I thought it would be, since some drivers don't have a lot of stories available (every single person writes for alex, lance or esteban deserves a giant smooch from me, I swear), or I don't read them as much. for other ones, I have like 20+ stories saved so it was really hard to stick to only a few! haha

anyways, I hope you enjoy this little present from me and I encourage you guys to check out all of these amazing and talented writers!

happy holidays to all of you lovely people! 💜 - cat

max verstappen | mv1

'long time lovers' || @libraryofloveletters

'little verstappen' || @lxclerc

'traitor' || @lxclerc

'dog days' || @tierneysodegaard || 13 parts

'our dirty little secret' || @timetorace || 2 parts

daniel ricciardo | dr3

'stargazing' || @art-outlaw || 28 parts

'memories hold me hostage' || @libraryofloveletters || 2 parts

'you abandoned me' || @lovingperfectionsblog || 2 parts

'sweet boy' || @unluckyhoneybee

'twin flame' || @vinvantae || 26 parts

lando norris | ln4

'breaking the rules' || @f1goat || 7 parts

'mini norris' !! @unluckyhoneybee || 2 parts

sebastian vettel | sv5

'after all this time' || @kates-dirty-sister

'chapters from an old book' || @libraryofloveletters

'thin walls' || @tierneysodegaard

pierre gasly | pg10

'pillow' || @illicitlimerence-writes || 4 parts

'one true love' || @mytinycrazymind

'secret' || @mytinycrazymind

'fake it till you make it' || @smoooothoperator || 6 parts

charles leclerc | cl16

'a moment in time' || @hey-kae || 2 parts

'babies and bahrain' || @illicitlimerence-writes

'little enzo' || @mytinycrazymind || 2 parts

'maybe summer doesn't have to end' || @rebelwrites || 11 parts

'the real deal' || @rebelwrites

lance stroll | ls18

'sugar plum' || @libraryofloveletters || 2 parts

'summer lovin' || @libraryofloveletters

'yule shoot your eye out' || @lovelytsunoda

'the second one' || @unluckyhoneybee

alex albon | aa23

'made in the a.m' || @lovelytsunoda

esteban ocon | eo31

'hot n cold' || @lovelytsunoda

'be my date' || @timetorace || 2 parts

lewis hamilton | lh44

'love you from the sidelines' || @libraryofloveletters

'old flame' || @lostinlewis || 5 parts

'what you can't have' || @luvth0t

mick schumacher | ms47

'dress' || @daydreamingleclerc

'lost in japan' || @illicitlimerence-writes

'romeo & juliet' || @illicitlimerence-writes

'see you later' || @illicitlimerence-writes

'sparkling' || @illicitlimerence-writes

carlos sainz | cs55

'in this lifetime or another' || @libraryofloveletters

'cockblock' || @lxclerc

'nothing happened' || @timetorace

george russell | gr63

'never really over' || @charlewiss-writes

'who you belong to' || @russellsppttemplates

multiple drivers

'bad omens' || @lxclerc || cl16 x pg10

'moth to a flame' || @lxclerc || cs55 x cl16 || 2 parts

'all too well' || @targaryenluv || lh44 x pg10

'are you happy now?' || @oyesmendes || pg 10 x gr63 || 3 parts

PS: if you want, feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments and/or message me! i'm always looking for new fics to read and I'd love to know your favourites! 💜

#f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen x reader #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo x reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris x reader #sebastian vettel imagine #sebastian vettel x reader #pierre gasly imagine #pierre gasly x reader #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc x reader #lance stroll imagine #lance stroll x reader #alex albon imagine #alex albon x reader #esteban ocon imagine #esteban ocon x reader #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton x reader #mick schumacher imagine #mick schumacher x reader #carlos sainz imagine #carlos sainz x reader #george russel imagine #george russell x reader #f1letters #f1 recs

[duothelingo]

THE OPENING (al-Fatihah) 1. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. 3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4. Master of the Day of Judgment. 5. It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6. Guide us to the straight path. 7. The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful 1. Alif, Lam, Meem. 2. This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3. Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4. And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5. These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 6. As for those who disbelieve—it is the same for them, whether you have warned them, or have not warned them—they do not believe. 7. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. They will have a severe torment. 8. Among the people are those who say, “We believe in Allah and in the Last Day,” but they are not believers. 9. They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive none but themselves, though they are not aware. 10. In their hearts is sickness, and Allah has increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment because of their denial. 11. And when it is said to them, “Do not make trouble on earth,” they say, “We are only reformers.” 12. In fact, they are the troublemakers, but they are not aware. 13. And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Shall we believe as the fools have believed?” In fact, it is they who are the fools, but they do not know. 14. And when they come across those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their devils, they say, “We are with you; we were only ridiculing.” 15. It is Allah who ridicules them, and leaves them bewildered in their transgression. 16. Those are they who have bartered error for guidance; but their trade does not profit them, and they are not guided. 17. Their likeness is that of a person who kindled a fire; when it illuminated all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in darkness, unable to see. 18. Deaf, dumb, blind. They will not return. 19. Or like a cloudburst from the sky, in which is darkness, and thunder, and lightning. They press their fingers into their ears from the thunderbolts, in fear of death. But Allah surrounds the disbelievers. 20. The lightning almost snatches their sight away. Whenever it illuminates for them, they walk in it; but when it grows dark over them, they stand still. Had Allah willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Allah is capable of everything. 21. O people! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may attain piety. 1 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) 22. He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to Allah while you know. 23. And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like these, and call your witnesses apart from Allah, if you are truthful. 24. But if you do not—and you will not—then beware the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. 25. And give good news to those who believe and do righteous deeds; that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with fruit therefrom as sustenance, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before,” and they will be given the like of it. And they will have pure spouses therein, and they will abide therein forever. 26. Allah does not shy away from making an example of a gnat, or something above it. As for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbeliev

Did you just send me the fucking Quran

[sparklingchim]

long way home 23 | jjk

pairing: jungkook x reader

word count: 2.1k

genre: dilf!jungkook, friends to lovers, angst

rating: pg

warnings: they have The Talk !!!!!! raw emotions, rejection ... , just lots lots los of different feelings 🫂

summary: the one where jungkook explains himself

a/n: it's my birthday today, so here's a lwh update as a liddol gift <3

chapters: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08| 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |

masterlist | long way home masterlist

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

Sundays are for reading books.

This is a serious law that you have adhered to since you became obsessed with devoting all your free time to fictional characters.

With a romance fantasy book in your hand, you pad into your living room. You're in the mood for some romance today - sickeningly sweet subtle interactions and heart-wrenching love confessions kinda romance.

Before you plop down on your couch, you hear your doorbell ring.

Not letting go of your book, you walk towards the door.

You peer through the peephole. Your breath catches in your throat.

It's Jungkook.

Now, you have two choices. Ignore him and read your book or let him in and see where that leads. You could always tell him to leave if it's too much for you.

Without giving it a second thought, you open the door.

"Hey," Jungkook greets you. He has a tight lipped smile gracing his face, deciphering the mood you're in and deciding that you're not completely hating him - at least now - judging from the way he relaxes his shoulders.

"Hi," you answer.

"I thought...maybe we could talk?" Jungkook's injury on his lip has subsided. It's barely noticeable.

You should talk. It's long overdue.

"Come in." You make room for him to enter the apartment and Jungkook takes his shoes off.

"Were you reading?" Jungkook points at the book in your hand.

"I was about to start, but then you rang the bell," you say as you lead him to the living room.

You place the book on the coffee table before you sit down on the couch with Jungkook.

One question is tickling your tongue. You clear your throat, feigned nonchalance unfurls on your features.

"Where is Nabi?"

"Ah," Jungkook blows. A trace of penitence dwells on his sigh. "Namjoon's watching over her. I asked if he could come over while I talk to you."

A crease appears between your eyebrows when you ask, "Namjoon is babysitting Nabi?"

"I hope he's not too overwhelmed by it." Jungkook plucks his phone out of his pocket. "I told him he could call if something's wrong." He examines his phone. "I guess he's doing fine."

"Sora didn't have time?"

Jungkook looks up. His temple flexes as he clenches his jaw at your unexpected question.

"Sora..." Jungkook's voice tapers off. He looks as if he's sifting through his mind for the proper words before resting his elbows on his knees and retorts, "Sora left." His gaze moves to the floor, almost a little ashamed.

Your skin turns cold. Eyes widening at Jungkook's startling revelation. "What do you mean she left?"

"She said she wasn't ready for this. Couldn't imagine herself raising a child in the long term." Jungkook nibbles on his lip piercing before he continues. "And then she grabbed her things and left. For good."

When you think about it, you're not even surprised. If she has already left Nabi once with Jungkook, she will have no problem doing it again.

You scoff. Jungkook drifts his eyes back to you. "And now that she has dumped you for a second time, you come back to me?"

"I've been trying to get a hold of your for weeks, y/n." He returns your accusation with raised brows. "She left about...three days ago?"

"How has it been?" you ask, noting the dark circles beneath his eyes. Your heart clenches unbridledly.

"I've been bringing Nabi to work every day." Jungkook utters a humourless laugh. "The kids love her, but she hates all the noise. Nabi is hardly able to fall asleep. And when she does, she doesn't take a full nap." Jungkook rakes his fingers through his hair. "It's been a little difficult. But I'm managing."

"Did you really not see this coming?" It's a genuine question. Has he really trusted Sora enough to let her in Nabi's life again? Did he assume that she wouldn't leave them?

"Can you really blame me for wishing that Nabi grows up with an equally good relationship with her parents?"

"Yeah." You nod, crossing your arms. "I can blame you for wishing that if it involves lying to me."

Jungkook closes his eyes. He rubs his hands over his face. A clipped, agonised groan flies past Jungkook's lips, smothered by his palms.

"I-" he starts as he lets his hands fall into his lap. "I'm really fucking sorry." He meets your stare and Jungkook's doe eyes are teeming with dazzles of sorrow and guilt. "I don't know, I just - I didn't tell you anything because... admitting that I allowed Sora back in Nabi's life like admitting that I was weak? That I had officially given up as a dad and wasn't capable of raising her own my own?" After a moment's pause to chew on the inside of his cheek, finding the vulnerability he's displaying a little challenging, he adds, "I didn't want you to see me like that. And before I could say anything to you, it was already too late"

A mix of confusion and hurt hits you. "Why did you think I would assume that?"

"It wouldn't have been the first time you doubted me as a dad."

When you had the conversation at the coffee shop, you remember. You may have said some harsh words, but only because he practically forced you with his reckless actions at the time. "You were pretty irresponsible back then, tho."

"I know," Jungkook admits. "But I didn't want you to think of me like that again." Jungkook leans back on the couch. "When I met Sora again for the first time, she gave me the impression that she genuinely wanted to be part of Nabi's life again. So I thought why not give her a second chance? I thought maybe every thing could work out. Sora could move close by, Nabi could have both of her parents growing up. I wouldn't have issues with babysitting anymore," he lists, counting on his fingers all the problems that would have disappeared if Sora had simply stayed.

Jungkook's voice is small when he says, "We could have somewhat be a nuclear family for Nabi." He leans forward again. "I felt that Nabi would need that growing up. To have both parents around to keep her happy and not miss anything." Jungkook cocks his head, tongue in cheek. "And then she decided to leave." He emits a bitter exhale. "I guess I wanted too much and in the end I had nothing."

"Maybe she pretended and came back because she wanted you," you say.

"What do you mean?" Bewilderment contorts his face.

"Maybe she didn't care for Nabi," you explain, but Jungkook has his eyebrows tightly furrowed. "C'mon, Jungkook. I know you two had something going on."

"There was nothing." Jungkook shakes his head. "She stayed at my place because her motel had some issues with their rooms."

"So you let her sleep in your bed."

"Just a few times because I felt bad to make her sleep on the couch."

"In your clothes?"

"That was only once because her pyjamas were still drying after I had washed her clothes." Jungkook's eyes are big as he desperate tries to make you understand him.

You shrug. "If you say so." You believe him, but remain apathetic. Jungkook doesn't need to know that imagining him being with Sora again had hurt you a lot.

Silence lingers in the air before Jungkook breaks it.

"Y'know," he begins, lip piercing between his teeth again as he gathers his thoughts. "After Sora left I realised something." He pauses,  then, "Nabi doesn't need a perfect, nuclear family to grow up. I was in the believe that she needed that, but that's not true." Jungkook rubs his hands over his thighs. "It's okay if she has only me as a parent. She doesn't necessarily need a mum - a mother figure. At least " - His eyes flicker to you - "At least no biological mother."

Your heart topples over. Falling down down down into an endless hole with no return back. Dragging along your rational thoughts.

Oh, Jungkook.

But you force yourself to stay calm. "You really hurt me," you say.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"I just don't understand why you couldn't be honest with me." You blink away tears. Exchanging a heartfelt conversation - that was due a long time ago - and exposing your raw feelings with Jungkook left you a little emotional. "Is that too much to ask for? After nine years of friendship, it's the least I expected from you, Jungkook."

"I was scared of what you'd think of my decision," he reveals. "I wanted you to think of me as a good father. I didn't want to hear you call me irresponsible again."

"There were reasons for the things I said," you remind him coldly. You didn't throw those terms around for no reason.

"I'm just telling you that's why I kept it from you that Sora came back into Nabi's life."

You huff. You're getting frustrated with Jungkook's tenuous excuses. "I can't believe that's why you decided to lie."

"Your words stuck with me," Jungkook says.

"I was just expressing my feelings back then. You kept dismissing my feelings and taking me for granted, Jungkook." You roll your eyes. "As long as you had talked to me and told me why you thought it was a good choice to bring Sora back, I wouldn't have said anything remotely close."

Just thinking of how badly Jungkook had treated you ignites anger in the pit of your stomach.

"Do you think I would have ever said anything if you had actually kept your promises?" You rise to your feet. "I was late for meetups and had to cancel plans because of you!" you reprimand. "Don't try to blame me for your botched decisions."

At that, Jungkook gets on his feet too. "I hate when you do this," he rejoins.

"Do what ?!" You throw your hands up in frustration.

"Put words in my mouth that I've never said!" A red flush spreads along his cheeks as he gets angrier. "I've never blamed you for anything, y/n. I know it's my fault. I know that I fucked everything up." Jungkooks eyebrows knit. "You're pulling the same shit you did a couple weeks ago. When you said you're not good enough."

You know exactly what he's referring to. That day is burned into you memory, even if you desperately try to forget it.

"I never said that you aren't enough for me, y/n. I said Sora's better than what I have at the moment because she has the same responsibility as I have. I know you tried to help me with Nabi, and I will be eternally grateful to you for that, but I needed someone permanently. And I can't ask that of you. I've already gone too far a few times," he says.

The angry crimson is still visible on his face. "So please, don't put words into my mouth I've never said!" Jungkook strides forward. "You are enough, y/n! You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I fucking hate myself for hurting you and treating you the way I did."

He needs to stop. The things he says contradicts how you feel about him at the moment.

"Why are you doing this?!" you yell in annoyance.

"Because I love you!"

"Jungkook, I love you too, but I-"

Jungkook gathers your hands in his. The step he takes forward makes you close your mouth.

"I love you," he says.

Three words.

And yet so difficult to comprehend.

"I have feelings for you, y/n. I've fallen for you. Really fucking deep. And I can't allow you to give up on us because of a stupid mistake I made, because I need you." Jungkook clutches your hands tightly.

Your heart pounds against your chest. Your whole body feels numb. This is not how you imagined your conversation to go. This is not how you wanted it to go.

Your brain is rattling for a reply. But you come up empty-handed. You're speechless.

Jungkook doesn't mean it. You don't even doubt it. He can't possibly be speaking the truth right now. It's not possible.

You open your mouth. But no words flutter past your lips. Just a deep breath because you stopped breathing the moment he reached for your hands.

Jungkook stares at you. And you see the exact moment as the light goes out of his eyes, as the vulnerability gives way to the pain.

You can't do this.

Not now.

Not if you are overwhelmed by too many feelings swirling around inside you.

"Jungkook?" You twist your hands out of his grasp. "Can you leave, please?"

When the door shuts close you let your pent up tears stream down your cheeks.

#jeon jungkook #jungkook angst #dilf jungkook #jungkook imagine #jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenario #jungkook x reader #jungkook fic #bts angst #bts fic #bts x reader #bts imagine #bts scenario

[staytinyville]

OUTLAW Masterlist

Synopsis: You thought you would be spending the rest of your life tending to the hotel your family ran. While you knew it was common to see bandits come and go in your town, you felt safe in your home. At least safe enough with a weapon at your disposal. However you were no match for eight men who were known to most as outlaws around the plains. What kind of adventures did they go on?

Pairing: ATEEZ poly!ot8 x Reader

Genre: Cowboy/Wild West AU, Fluff, Angst, Smut?, Humor, Romance

Warnings: So I have decided to write smut chapters. However it’s just one per member. So like eight in total. Maybe some things here and there. With that being said. I will not have a taglist on those chapters for fear of having minors tagged. My books are mostly for a general audience because smut isn’t my main writing. However with the very small number of chapters I will probably do, it’s best to not tag anyone. I understand some of you have ages but I don’t want to struggle with picking out each adult blog. Thank you for understanding.

A/N: I infused some of the ATEEZ lore into the story if you guys wanted to know! I’m excited to reach those parts and explain how they tie in to the story. Bouncy is also infused here too!

City of Cromer Arc

(1) -- (2) -- (3) -- (4) -- (5)

(6) -- (7) -- (8) -- (9) -- (10)

(11) -- (12) -- (13) -- (14) -- (15)

(16) -- (17) -- (18) -- (19) -- (20)

(21) -- (22) -- (23) -- (24) -- (25)

(26) -- (27) -- (28) -- (29) -- (30)

(31) -- (32) -- (33) -- (34) -- (35)

(36) -- (37) -- (38) -- (39) -- (40)

(41) -- (42) -- (43) -- (44) -- (45)

(46) -- (47) -- (48) -- (49)

The Cult of Z Arc

(50) -- (51) -- (52) -- (53) -- (54)

Taglist has close! It is currently full, thank you to everyone following along.

#ateez fanfic #ateez x reader #ateez imagines #ateez #yeosang #wooyoung #atiny #choi san #ateez fic #ateez hongjoong #mingi x reader #ateez mingi #seonghwa #hongjoong #jongho #song mingi #ateez yunho #yunho x reader #jeong yunho #jung wooyoung #ateez san #ateez yeosang #kpop fanfic #yeosang x reader #hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #wooyoung x reader #choi san x reader #jongho x reader #ateez smut