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sm0lprism · 6 days ago

Text

Handle Me With Care (5)

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn’t your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Summary: Shadow and Kaia enter a city that is under attack by the strange aliens they saw earlier. Chaos and destruction is running rampant and some familiar faces make an appearance.

Warnings: graphic violence, course language, blood, people literally being eaten by aliens, gore.

Pairings: Shadow x tiny!mouse oc (purely romantic/fluff, slow-burn)

Word count: 2.4k

Read on AO3

<Previous chapter >Next chapter

Kaia wasn’t sure what to think when Shadow pressed her into his chest and sped off at lightning speed. A part of her wondered just exactly what she had gotten herself into upon meeting the mysterious giant hedgehog. The strange creatures falling from the sky, the day of reckoning, and Black Doom…there were so many things going on that she didn’t know where to begin. But, for now, she knew that she had to talk to Shadow about all of this. Just where exactly was he taking her? Why was he acting so strangely?

“S-Shadow!” she spluttered, smothered against his incredibly fluffy chest fur. “You need to stop and talk about this. What’s going on with you?”

“I…I can’t.” Shadow’s voice rumbled all around her. “I have to…keep going. It’s telling me to. I have to join them.”

“Them? What is it telling you?” Kaia pushed some of his fluffy fur out of her face and squirmed against his gloved hands. “Shadow, you need to stop!”

Finally, Shadow came to a grinding halt. Explosions vibrated through the air and the taste of sickly smoke filled her lungs. Coughing, she pushed away Shadow’s fingers to see just exactly where he had dragged her to. Her eyes widened at the scene that played out before her. Columns of fire were eating away at the towering skyscrapers as utter chaos rampaged through the city. The creatures that she had seen fall from the sky earlier were there, and they were utterly terrifying. Ghastly, black and red aliens stormed through the town, snatching up screaming people as if they were nothing before devouring them whole. Screams filled her eardrums as she watched the horror scene unfold. Blood was splattered over the once grey concrete and the smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils. She gagged, slapping a hand over her mouth from the putrid stench. Her guts twisted into knots as she was completely frozen with fear.

“S-Shadow…” she barely managed to choke out.

“No…this…” Shadow breathed heavily, his eyes frantically scanning the carnage as he tried to make sense of what was going on. “I’m not…no…I’m not one of them!”

“What?” Kaia croaked, craning her gaze to look up at him as she sat nestled amongst his fingers. “What are you talking about? Talk to me, Shadow.”

“They…the voices…” Shadow said breathlessly. “The voices in my head keep on saying that I’m one of them…these creatures…Black Doom…he made them.” He paused; his face contorted in anguish as the realisation overtook him. “Like me.”

“No!” Kaia immediately said without a moment’s hesitation. “No, no, Shadow, you’re nothing like them. And as for Black Doom, we don’t know if he was even telling the truth or not! I mean, you don’t even look like them.”

“That may be so, but they were created by Black Doom, and…and he created me.” Shadow furrowed his brows, his eyes solemn. “I don’t know if Black Doom is telling the truth or not, but…I feel it is true. I feel a connection to these creatures that he created. That alone is proof enough.”

Kaia opened her mouth to speak, but no words formed on her lips. She narrowed her eyes as she composed herself.

“And so what if you are? You shouldn’t let that define you,” she said firmly. “Have you ever heard the saying that you don’t choose your family? I think that applies here.”

Upon hearing the mention of family, something flickered in Shadow’s red eyes as if he was remembering something. Kaia didn’t know what it was, but whatever she had said must’ve affected him in some way as his gaze softened.

“I suppose you’re right,” he said quietly.

Before Kaia could respond, a car was suddenly thrown over the two of them that exploded into a nearby building. More screams erupted through the air as swarms of people ran for their lives, not taking any notice of the strange hedgehog and tiny mouse that were amongst it all. A hulking black and red alien lumbered towards them; its yellow eyes glowed fiercely and fixated intently on both Shadow and Kaia.

Shadow’s fingers tensed as the creature staggered forward. It was absolutely massive and easily towered over Shadow’s frame. The same red energy from before began to ripple across Shadow’s fur, electrifying the air around them.

Suddenly, a glowing light smothered them and everything went dark. Kaia felt as if her entire body had been lurched forward as she frantically grabbed onto Shadow’s fingers and sealed her eyes shut. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw that the giant alien was gone. In fact, they were incredibly high up – on top of a building, to be exact. The lumbering alien was down below on the pavement, glancing around as if it was searching for them.

“H-how…” Kaia croaked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “Did you just teleport us?”

“Yes,” Shadow replied gruffly, setting her down on the hard floor. “I need to deal with this and you will only get in the way. I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”

“W-wait!” Kaia exclaimed, running over to his feet. “Just think about this first.”

Shadow grimaced, as if he was fighting some internal battle that she couldn’t see. “I will deal with these creatures.”

“You can’t stop them all by yourself,” she said, as another explosion went off in the distance. “It’s dangerous down there!”

“You haven’t seen what I can do yet,” Shadow replied.

Without another word, Shadow teleported and was gone in an instant. Kaia immediately ran to the edge of the building and nervously glanced down. Shadow was already down there, approaching the giant alien. In a split second, Shadow had teleported again, and delivered a devastating kick to the alien, sending it flying down the street and crashing into a cluster of abandoned cars.

I guess he can really handle himself.

Shaking her head, Kaia rubbed her hands across her arms. She wasn’t sure that making the choice to accompany Shadow had been her brightest idea. Unknowingly she had found herself perhaps in more danger than she had bargained for. Utter chaos was everywhere across the city, and she wondered just exactly where she was. For now, she would keep her head down and hope none of those black and red aliens decided to come to the top of the building she was on.

Her heart caught in her throat as a shimmering bright light shone from behind her. Frantically, she turned around, and her eyes widened as a giant glowing golden ring appeared out of thin air. Strangely enough, the ring looked incredibly similar to the portal she had run through when she had been transported to this planet. Through the ring, she could see three large animals emerge. An electric blue hedgehog, a red echidna, and a yellow twin-tailed fox stepped out of the ring. Their giant footsteps sent tremors through the ground and Kaia was nearly jostled off her feet from the intensity of their footfalls.

“I guess G.U.N wasn’t lying when they said that Westopolis was being invaded by aliens,” the blue hedgehog announced, his gaze scanning the burning city around them.

Westopolis. So that’s where I am, Kaia thought quietly to herself as she urgently looked around for cover. While Shadow had proven himself to be an ally, she had no idea who these newcomers were and she wasn’t ready to reveal herself to them until she knew what their motives were. A rusty old exterior air con unit was the closest thing that she could find and immediately she sprinted underneath it.

“It pains me that we have decided to work with G.U.N once more,” the red echidna grumbled, his eyes narrowed. “After what they did to us and the more impressive black and red hedgehog, we should never speak to them again.”

“Look, Knuckles, we’ve already been over this,” the blue hedgehog replied, heaving a sigh. “I don’t want to work with G.U.N just as much as you, but we couldn’t just ignore their plea for help. Innocent people are in danger.”

“Sonic is right,” the fox answered. “If we don’t do anything, this entire city will be burned to the ground.”

Knuckles released a small huff and folded his arms over his chest.

“Fine, fox. I cannot argue with that.”

The fox pulled out a strange looking device from his backpack and began to type away on the machine.

“The Miles Electric is picking up on a lot of chaos energy. In fact, this energy reading could even suggest…” He trailed off, his expression changing from confusion to shock.

“Tails?” Sonic questioned, jumping over to where the fox was standing. “Do you think it’s…?”

“Shadow.” Tails, the fox, breathed deeply. “If these readings are correct, he’s right here in the city.”

“He survived the explosion,” Knuckled remarked, a grin spreading across his face. “Excellent. I want a rematch.”

“That can wait, Knuckles,” Sonic said, patting the red echidna on the shoulder. “We need to tread carefully. If this is in fact Shadow, we need to find out what he’s doing here.”

“Hold on, it’s picking up another energy signature,” Tails exclaimed, swivelling the device to where Kaia was hiding underneath the old air con unit. “There’s someone there.”

Kaia’s heart nearly exploded out of her ribcage.

Oh shit.

Sonic frowned and stepped towards the air con unit. The ground rattled violently from his movement and Kaia struggled not to fall over from the tremors.

“Under this old air con unit?” Sonic crouched down so that he was on his hands and knees. “There’s no way anyone could be down here, Tails, they’d have to be tiny–”

Silence fell across the group as Kaia locked eyes with the giant blue hedgehog. His vibrant green eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at her small frame curled up underneath the air con unit. Kaia was completely frozen in fear and she felt her entire body stiffen.

“Whoa…” Sonic murmured, confusion and curiosity washed over his face. “That’s...that’s a tiny mouse!”

Kaia continued to stare intently at the giant blue hedgehog. Any words that she wanted to say instantly died on her tongue, her mouth acting as if it was glued together.

“Just a mouse?” Knuckled grumbled. “Leave the poor creature be, hedgehog, you are only going to frighten it with your big ugly face.”

Sonic gasped in outrage. “Excuse me?! You’re calling this face ugly? Take that back, Knuckles!”

“I will not,” Knuckles snickered. “You are ugly, hedgehog.”

“Hey, you don’t think I’m ugly, do you?” Sonic quickly returned to Kaia, and she nearly jumped out of her fur from the intensity of his green gaze. Everywhere she looked was nothing but the giant blue hedgehog as he stared at her from underneath the air con unit. Her usual assertiveness and confidence were quickly fizzling away the longer Sonic stared at her. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling this way. When she had met Shadow, she hadn’t been afraid of him, but for some reason, there was something about the blue hedgehog that set her nerves on edge.

“N-no…” Kaia managed to choke out, swallowing thickly.

“See, she doesn’t think I’m ugly!” Sonic retorted.

“The mouse is clearly blind,” Knuckles grumbled.

“Ignore Knuckles,” Sonic replied gently, a soft grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I’m Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. I promise we won’t hurt you. Do you want to come out and meet my friends?”

Kaia hesitated, unsure of how to react. These other animals clearly knew Shadow, and they appeared to be friendly enough. If Shadow trusted them, perhaps she could trust them, too. Cautiously, she crawled out from underneath the air con unit and craned her neck up to look at the giant animals. All of them gaped down at her in wonder and a small moment of silence passed over the group as they all processed what was happening.

“Sonic, you did not mention she was not an Earth mouse!” Knuckles exclaimed, bewildered by Kaia’s presence.

“I didn’t want you guys to clamber over and freak her out,” Sonic replied. “I mean, just look at how small she is.”

“This is fascinating.” Tails dropped to one knee and waved his device over Kaia’s small frame. “My readings say she is very similar to us, only on a smaller scale.”

“What’s your name?” Sonic asked gently, kneeling down beside Tails.

“Kaia.” She straightened her back in an attempt to appear a little taller. “Kaia the Mouse.”

“You already know my name, but this is Tails and Knuckles.” Sonic gestured to his two friends.

“Nice to meet you all,” Kaia said with a weak smile.

“Where are you from, small one?” Knuckles questioned. “Are you on a mighty quest from your home world?”

“Not really,” Kaia said. “Back on my home planet, I was being chased by a cat that was intent on eating me. Right before the cat could grab me, a mysterious portal opened, just like the one you all walked out from. I went through the portal and ended up on this planet.”

“You have been through great turmoil, tiny warrior.” Knuckles’ gaze softened as he also kneeled down next to Tails and Sonic.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been,” Tails commented.

“It’s fine, my people are used to that,” Kaia quickly said. “But I heard that you guys know Shadow. How do you know him?”

“Long story short, Hot Topic was hellbent on seeking revenge for his best friend and nearly destroyed the world,” Sonic explained. “But I got him to see a different perspective. He ended up helping me save the Earth from being destroyed by a giant cannon.”

Kaia had no idea what ‘Hot Topic’ was, but she assumed it was some nickname that Sonic had given Shadow. Shadow had conveniently left out that information about almost destroying the world. There was a lot about him that she didn’t know it seemed.

“How do you know Shadow?” Sonic asked.

“He agreed to help me from this strange planet.” Kaia shifted uncomfortably as all of the giants’ eyes were on her. “Being as small as I am, it’s not a bad thing to have a big bodyguard.”

“Shadow? Help you? Huh, I guess he is softer than what he makes out to be.” Sonic offered her an open palm. “Come with us. We’ll look after you and find Shadow.”

A part of Kaia was tempted to refuse. Shadow had instructed her to stay here after all, and he would come back…right? But then again, surely, she was safer with Sonic and his friends? They knew Shadow, after all, and perhaps they could help him fight off those strange aliens.

Inhaling a deep breath, she climbed onto Sonic’s waiting hand.

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sm0lprism · 7 days ago

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made a silly little TikTok account to make silly little animatics like ✨this✨

I cannot animate, but I tried…

(I have like 50+ audios saved now that have potential)

#OH MY GOSH #THIS IS AMAZING AHHHH #SO PRETTY #g/t #male giant #video

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sm0lprism · 9 days ago

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giants who have a good enough relationship with the tiny to the point where they can just randomly pick them up without even saying anything the giant is just like "friend :)"

and the tiny is pretty much just chill with it

#g/t

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sm0lprism · 11 days ago

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sizeshifting asshole siren ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 i love him with my whole heart

#g/t #male giant #merpeople

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sm0lprism · 12 days ago

Text

Handle Me With Care (5)

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn’t your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Summary: Shadow and Kaia enter a city that is under attack by the strange aliens they saw earlier. Chaos and destruction is running rampant and some familiar faces make an appearance.

Warnings: graphic violence, course language, blood, people literally being eaten by aliens, gore.

Pairings: Shadow x tiny!mouse oc (purely romantic/fluff, slow-burn)

Word count: 2.4k

Read on AO3

<Previous chapter >Next chapter

“S-Shadow!” she spluttered, smothered against his incredibly fluffy chest fur. “You need to stop and talk about this. What’s going on with you?”

“I…I can’t.” Shadow’s voice rumbled all around her. “I have to…keep going. It’s telling me to. I have to join them.”

“Them? What is it telling you?” Kaia pushed some of his fluffy fur out of her face and squirmed against his gloved hands. “Shadow, you need to stop!”

“S-Shadow…” she barely managed to choke out.

“No…this…” Shadow breathed heavily, his eyes frantically scanning the carnage as he tried to make sense of what was going on. “I’m not…no…I’m not one of them!”

“What?” Kaia croaked, craning her gaze to look up at him as she sat nestled amongst his fingers. “What are you talking about? Talk to me, Shadow.”

Kaia opened her mouth to speak, but no words formed on her lips. She narrowed her eyes as she composed herself.

“And so what if you are? You shouldn’t let that define you,” she said firmly. “Have you ever heard the saying that you don’t choose your family? I think that applies here.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he said quietly.

“H-how…” Kaia croaked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “Did you just teleport us?”

“Yes,” Shadow replied gruffly, setting her down on the hard floor. “I need to deal with this and you will only get in the way. I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”

“W-wait!” Kaia exclaimed, running over to his feet. “Just think about this first.”

Shadow grimaced, as if he was fighting some internal battle that she couldn’t see. “I will deal with these creatures.”

“You can’t stop them all by yourself,” she said, as another explosion went off in the distance. “It’s dangerous down there!”

“You haven’t seen what I can do yet,” Shadow replied.

I guess he can really handle himself.

“I guess G.U.N wasn’t lying when they said that Westopolis was being invaded by aliens,” the blue hedgehog announced, his gaze scanning the burning city around them.

“Sonic is right,” the fox answered. “If we don’t do anything, this entire city will be burned to the ground.”

Knuckles released a small huff and folded his arms over his chest.

“Fine, fox. I cannot argue with that.”

The fox pulled out a strange looking device from his backpack and began to type away on the machine.

“The Miles Electric is picking up on a lot of chaos energy. In fact, this energy reading could even suggest…” He trailed off, his expression changing from confusion to shock.

“Tails?” Sonic questioned, jumping over to where the fox was standing. “Do you think it’s…?”

“Shadow.” Tails, the fox, breathed deeply. “If these readings are correct, he’s right here in the city.”

“He survived the explosion,” Knuckled remarked, a grin spreading across his face. “Excellent. I want a rematch.”

“That can wait, Knuckles,” Sonic said, patting the red echidna on the shoulder. “We need to tread carefully. If this is in fact Shadow, we need to find out what he’s doing here.”

“Hold on, it’s picking up another energy signature,” Tails exclaimed, swivelling the device to where Kaia was hiding underneath the old air con unit. “There’s someone there.”

Kaia’s heart nearly exploded out of her ribcage.

Oh shit.

Sonic frowned and stepped towards the air con unit. The ground rattled violently from his movement and Kaia struggled not to fall over from the tremors.

“Under this old air con unit?” Sonic crouched down so that he was on his hands and knees. “There’s no way anyone could be down here, Tails, they’d have to be tiny–”

“Whoa…” Sonic murmured, confusion and curiosity washed over his face. “That’s...that’s a tiny mouse!”

Kaia continued to stare intently at the giant blue hedgehog. Any words that she wanted to say instantly died on her tongue, her mouth acting as if it was glued together.

“Just a mouse?” Knuckled grumbled. “Leave the poor creature be, hedgehog, you are only going to frighten it with your big ugly face.”

Sonic gasped in outrage. “Excuse me?! You’re calling this face ugly? Take that back, Knuckles!”

“I will not,” Knuckles snickered. “You are ugly, hedgehog.”

“N-no…” Kaia managed to choke out, swallowing thickly.

“See, she doesn’t think I’m ugly!” Sonic retorted.

“The mouse is clearly blind,” Knuckles grumbled.

“Sonic, you did not mention she was not an Earth mouse!” Knuckles exclaimed, bewildered by Kaia’s presence.

“I didn’t want you guys to clamber over and freak her out,” Sonic replied. “I mean, just look at how small she is.”

“This is fascinating.” Tails dropped to one knee and waved his device over Kaia’s small frame. “My readings say she is very similar to us, only on a smaller scale.”

“What’s your name?” Sonic asked gently, kneeling down beside Tails.

“Kaia.” She straightened her back in an attempt to appear a little taller. “Kaia the Mouse.”

“You already know my name, but this is Tails and Knuckles.” Sonic gestured to his two friends.

“Nice to meet you all,” Kaia said with a weak smile.

“Where are you from, small one?” Knuckles questioned. “Are you on a mighty quest from your home world?”

“You have been through great turmoil, tiny warrior.” Knuckles’ gaze softened as he also kneeled down next to Tails and Sonic.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been,” Tails commented.

“It’s fine, my people are used to that,” Kaia quickly said. “But I heard that you guys know Shadow. How do you know him?”

“How do you know Shadow?” Sonic asked.

“He agreed to help me from this strange planet.” Kaia shifted uncomfortably as all of the giants’ eyes were on her. “Being as small as I am, it’s not a bad thing to have a big bodyguard.”

“Shadow? Help you? Huh, I guess he is softer than what he makes out to be.” Sonic offered her an open palm. “Come with us. We’ll look after you and find Shadow.”

Inhaling a deep breath, she climbed onto Sonic’s waiting hand.

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sm0lprism · 13 days ago

Text

Handle Me With Care (5)

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn’t your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Summary: Shadow and Kaia enter a city that is under attack by the strange aliens they saw earlier. Chaos and destruction is running rampant and some familiar faces make an appearance.

Warnings: graphic violence, course language, blood, people literally being eaten by aliens, gore.

Pairings: Shadow x tiny!mouse oc (purely romantic/fluff, slow-burn)

Word count: 2.4k

Read on AO3

<Previous chapter >Next chapter

“S-Shadow!” she spluttered, smothered against his incredibly fluffy chest fur. “You need to stop and talk about this. What’s going on with you?”

“I…I can’t.” Shadow’s voice rumbled all around her. “I have to…keep going. It’s telling me to. I have to join them.”

“Them? What is it telling you?” Kaia pushed some of his fluffy fur out of her face and squirmed against his gloved hands. “Shadow, you need to stop!”

“S-Shadow…” she barely managed to choke out.

“No…this…” Shadow breathed heavily, his eyes frantically scanning the carnage as he tried to make sense of what was going on. “I’m not…no…I’m not one of them!”

“What?” Kaia croaked, craning her gaze to look up at him as she sat nestled amongst his fingers. “What are you talking about? Talk to me, Shadow.”

Kaia opened her mouth to speak, but no words formed on her lips. She narrowed her eyes as she composed herself.

“And so what if you are? You shouldn’t let that define you,” she said firmly. “Have you ever heard the saying that you don’t choose your family? I think that applies here.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he said quietly.

“H-how…” Kaia croaked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “Did you just teleport us?”

“Yes,” Shadow replied gruffly, setting her down on the hard floor. “I need to deal with this and you will only get in the way. I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”

“W-wait!” Kaia exclaimed, running over to his feet. “Just think about this first.”

Shadow grimaced, as if he was fighting some internal battle that she couldn’t see. “I will deal with these creatures.”

“You can’t stop them all by yourself,” she said, as another explosion went off in the distance. “It’s dangerous down there!”

“You haven’t seen what I can do yet,” Shadow replied.

I guess he can really handle himself.

“I guess G.U.N wasn’t lying when they said that Westopolis was being invaded by aliens,” the blue hedgehog announced, his gaze scanning the burning city around them.

“Sonic is right,” the fox answered. “If we don’t do anything, this entire city will be burned to the ground.”

Knuckles released a small huff and folded his arms over his chest.

“Fine, fox. I cannot argue with that.”

The fox pulled out a strange looking device from his backpack and began to type away on the machine.

“The Miles Electric is picking up on a lot of chaos energy. In fact, this energy reading could even suggest…” He trailed off, his expression changing from confusion to shock.

“Tails?” Sonic questioned, jumping over to where the fox was standing. “Do you think it’s…?”

“Shadow.” Tails, the fox, breathed deeply. “If these readings are correct, he’s right here in the city.”

“He survived the explosion,” Knuckled remarked, a grin spreading across his face. “Excellent. I want a rematch.”

“That can wait, Knuckles,” Sonic said, patting the red echidna on the shoulder. “We need to tread carefully. If this is in fact Shadow, we need to find out what he’s doing here.”

“Hold on, it’s picking up another energy signature,” Tails exclaimed, swivelling the device to where Kaia was hiding underneath the old air con unit. “There’s someone there.”

Kaia’s heart nearly exploded out of her ribcage.

Oh shit.

Sonic frowned and stepped towards the air con unit. The ground rattled violently from his movement and Kaia struggled not to fall over from the tremors.

“Under this old air con unit?” Sonic crouched down so that he was on his hands and knees. “There’s no way anyone could be down here, Tails, they’d have to be tiny–”

“Whoa…” Sonic murmured, confusion and curiosity washed over his face. “That’s...that’s a tiny mouse!”

Kaia continued to stare intently at the giant blue hedgehog. Any words that she wanted to say instantly died on her tongue, her mouth acting as if it was glued together.

“Just a mouse?” Knuckled grumbled. “Leave the poor creature be, hedgehog, you are only going to frighten it with your big ugly face.”

Sonic gasped in outrage. “Excuse me?! You’re calling this face ugly? Take that back, Knuckles!”

“I will not,” Knuckles snickered. “You are ugly, hedgehog.”

“N-no…” Kaia managed to choke out, swallowing thickly.

“See, she doesn’t think I’m ugly!” Sonic retorted.

“The mouse is clearly blind,” Knuckles grumbled.

“Sonic, you did not mention she was not an Earth mouse!” Knuckles exclaimed, bewildered by Kaia’s presence.

“I didn’t want you guys to clamber over and freak her out,” Sonic replied. “I mean, just look at how small she is.”

“This is fascinating.” Tails dropped to one knee and waved his device over Kaia’s small frame. “My readings say she is very similar to us, only on a smaller scale.”

“What’s your name?” Sonic asked gently, kneeling down beside Tails.

“Kaia.” She straightened her back in an attempt to appear a little taller. “Kaia the Mouse.”

“You already know my name, but this is Tails and Knuckles.” Sonic gestured to his two friends.

“Nice to meet you all,” Kaia said with a weak smile.

“Where are you from, small one?” Knuckles questioned. “Are you on a mighty quest from your home world?”

“You have been through great turmoil, tiny warrior.” Knuckles’ gaze softened as he also kneeled down next to Tails and Sonic.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been,” Tails commented.

“It’s fine, my people are used to that,” Kaia quickly said. “But I heard that you guys know Shadow. How do you know him?”

“How do you know Shadow?” Sonic asked.

“He agreed to help me from this strange planet.” Kaia shifted uncomfortably as all of the giants’ eyes were on her. “Being as small as I am, it’s not a bad thing to have a big bodyguard.”

“Shadow? Help you? Huh, I guess he is softer than what he makes out to be.” Sonic offered her an open palm. “Come with us. We’ll look after you and find Shadow.”

Inhaling a deep breath, she climbed onto Sonic’s waiting hand.

#prism writes #g/t #giant/tiny #gianttiny #g/t fandom #g/t community #g/t writing #male giant #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic g/t #sth #sth fanfic #shadow the hedgehog #shadow x oc

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sm0lprism · 14 days ago

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look at my forever wip

#g/t

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sm0lprism · 15 days ago

Text

In the Hands of my Tormentor

Yelloooooo! Been a lil bit since I've posted any writing! Been a bit hard getting much written with life and work at the moment but I had this random g/t thought and ran with it to get this lil fic. So enjoy another random oc created for the purpose of this fic lol.

Premise: You've been transported to another world where giants see humans as lesser and have ended up the pet of a Count.

cw: Fear, fear of death, fatal scenes mentioned, panic, mentions of being eaten alive, death mentions (no one dies tho), anxiety, torture, manipulation. Just the opposite of what I usually post lol. wc: 2318

Terror.

That’s all I could feel as I watched in horror as the giant noble scarfed down their meal. Giant fangs tearing through meat 100x my size, as if it was sliced bread. I forced myself to not react as I heard them swallow, knowing full well should they tire of me- their pet, I may very well be the next one sliding down that wretch’s throat.

In this world, Giants didn’t see anything smaller than them as intelligent. If you were found, the lucky ones either died or were crushed between teeth as big as boulders like food. And if you think ‘How’s that lucky?! That’s horrid!’ Be glad you’re not the one being digested alive.

But even that was a mercy compared to my fate.

Every day I tread the thin line of a tightrope; a timer hanging over my head. Forced to live life as a performance, every step perfect in order to please my Master.

“TWIRL!” He’d demand.

“JUMP!” He’d spit.

“SING!” He’d sneer- and I’d do it without hesitation or face death itself.

For as humiliating as it was, being ‘keep’ worthy; even for a derogatory laugh, it was better than being deemed useless and ready for brutal discarding. And with how little manic glee he’d been having with me lately, that may be sooner than not. For if I have no worth, what’s stopping them from doing away with me?

Tonight I was on display at another one of their dinner parties. Parties they threw more to show their class standing and possessions than for company. Sometimes I’d be in a cage forced to sing like a songbird, other times I’d be kept on the table with a ribbon clamped around my ankle to perform tricks or be petted by gloved fingers.

The guests would often have varying responses at my presence.

“Such a rare delicacy humans are and you're wasting it as a pet?”

“What a wretched little thing it is. Why not just eat it and be done?”

“As amusing as it is, why keep it around when it’s a better snack?”

After a while, you learn to tune out the loud voices. It’s just a reminder I’m only seen as food, insignificant, a pest. I only listen to the Master's voice. He’s the only one that matters. I sit just to his right today. The ribbon on my ankle is too tight, and I can feel the way my foot has started to go numb from the lack of blood flow. I look at it absentmindedly, the phantom pain of a blade forced against an angry scar, throbs against the ribbon. Strange I can’t feel my foot and yet still feel the pain of past escapes. I stopped trying a long time ago. Better to submit then endure his sick pleasures again.

I try not to think about the will I’ve given up; the life I’ve submitted to and try to listen to the giants conversing overhead.

Had it not been for the size difference and ignorance to the obvious, the giants were just like us. Take away all the power-hungry madness and torture of the little guy and the giants were just like humans if they were living in a medieval fantasy. Perhaps in another world, I would have been one of the guests…

“Dance, Human.” Master demands, and I stand and let my body move the way I know it pleases the giant. I don’t even think about the steps anymore, I just let myself move as if I were a robot programmed with the steps.

The giants above me laugh, clap and snicker. I know I’ve done my dance right. They’re all talking around the table, some whispering to each other with cruel gazes locked on my form. Others are spitting profanities at me and joking to my Master about making me do more tricks.

There was only one giant that didn’t seem interested in my suffering. They sat at the opposite end of the table silently, and hadn’t moved much beyond drinking from their cup. I didn’t pay them much mind. One less giant drooling over me was a blessing.

I let their voices blend together as I continued to move, the only voice I was listening for was my Masters, and I knew he was grinning ear to ear with all the attention on his greatest possession.

His rare and desirable human.

“Now sing.” He says sickeningly sweet and my mouth obeys as I sing old scales used to warm up my voice whilst I continue to dance.

He never said I could stop.

I don’t know how long this continued for, the time always blurred together with every order and step at these events. All I know is the giants are enjoying it for the time being and all hungry eyes are on me. I will do as they want till I’m so desirable, that Master snatches me away- just teasing the lessers with what they can’t have. I can see the manic glee in their eyes at being so close to myself. I know what they want, and I scold my expression to not let the fear show on my face.

My legs ached, but I pushed on; my voice wasting away from overuse. Everything was starting to burn from the effort it took to do both. I sang a long high note and began to spin, a bad combo but my brain was on autopilot. How much longer till I collapse?

“Stop.” Master demanded; my saving grace but not by much. I stopped immediately, finishing the pirouette and ceasing my song. I didn’t dare move despite my labored breathing, fully aware that the command wasn’t just for me, for in the corner of my eye I saw it.

An outstretched white, gloved hand reached for me- and it was not my Masters.

That was all that was said before the ribbon around my ankle yanked me back, sending me tumbling forward as I was reeled in. I kept my head down, biting my tongue to stop myself from screaming as I felt the glazed wooden table burn against my hands and knees as I was dragged. My performance was done. And so was the fool of a giant that had tried to take me.

Or so I thought.

Giants had tried to take me from Master before that was a given, but I was his snack (as he liked to remind me) and those that had tried to take what was his, had been dragged out shrieking. But this one had the room silent. Someone with a demanding presence other than my Master had the room freeze.

“So Ed,”

“That’s Count Edwin, to you.” Master spat at the other Giant.

“May I remind you who the Duke is here, Count Edwin.” the Duke replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink. I saw the way the Master's hand tensed at the notion.

He was irritated.

Very few had the nerve to undermine him and make it out unscathed. So far nothing had happened to this Duke, which made him a threat.

“I understand you invited me here tonight to make a deal.” The Duke asked.

“Yes, that’s correct.” The grit in the Master's voice confirmed my suspicions. He’d interrupted his showing off. They were treading on thin ice.

“I wish to put a natural water irrigation system to my crops from the south river. The river in question however, borders the edge of your land and in order for me to utilize it, would require access to your land.”

“And you want me to allow your filthy hands access to my river.” The Duke remarked.

Master's hand tightened on his utensils. Whoever this man was really had the Giant getting into a tizzy, which was never good for me. For all the time that I’d been here, it was very rare that anyone dared to go up against Master, let alone insult him. I felt a slight sense of justice from the thought. Even if it would never be me to do it, at least someone would knock them off their high horse.

I couldn’t help but glance up to see what such a person looked like and was surprised by what I saw. It was the uninterested giant from before.

Just like their attitude, the Giants' features matched their blunt, cold attitude. Jet black, side swept hair and dressed in a navy blue velvet coat, adorned with gold trims and fine sapphires bigger than my head, the Duke- the most regal man I’d ever seen in all my life, was listening to my Master with an icy cold stone stare.

The man seemed bored of this tedious exchange and I could tell their patience was beginning to run thin as my Master blabbered on and on about the Giants river.

I wondered how long the fire would build behind the Duke’s eyes before their tolerance met its peak, and would put my Master in their place. For once I was glad they paid me no mind.

“I have much gold to offer in return for the river and with the greater yields we would produce, I’m happy to offer 5% of the total harvest.” Master’s smile curled into a grin as they folded their hands. They did that whenever something they wanted was about to go their way.

I averted my gaze back to my feet at this. They always got mad when they caught me staring. How sad I knew what his tells were.

“While your offer is good Edwin, as a Duke with the amount of land I have, your offer is insignificant to me. Why give you access to my river when I produce five times the amount you yield in a year?”

Master lost his composure at that, clearly not expecting such a response. Unsurprising when he acts like a toddler who has never been told no. “Well yes but-”

“If you expect me to share such a precious resource, I expect a greater sum.” The Duke cut him off. “Or an offer with something of rarity to actually compensate for the price. Something like…”

No. No, he can’t mean…

The duke took a sip from his cup as if contemplating, but only a fool didn’t know he’d already made up his mind the second he set eyes on me.

“That human.”

The Duke slammed the cup down, hitting the table with a clink as my head shot up and snapped straight to the Duke, my worst fears confirmed reality. The Duke’s ice blue eyes bore into my small figure. If I thought my grubby Master was scary then the Duke was sheer terror.

His eyes pierced my very soul pinning me in place, and I stared straight back, unable to hide the terror on my face despite the consequences. Though it could have just been adrenaline, I swear I saw their eyes soften when they noticed my expression change, though it did little to put me at ease. His presence was terrifying and it hit me then why the room was so quiet. Why Master was so mad he had no control over this Giant.

This was a man with power.

I knew if I was what it wanted, then no one would be stupid enough to say no twice. Everyone in the room knew what his eyes were locked on.

“You want me to trade my human, for access to the river?” The Count replied as he dragged me closer, pulling me away from my terror. “That hardly seems fair seeing how incredibly rare and delightful they are. It’s just about bored me enough that I'm peckish. I love to break their spirits just enough that they’re kicking and screaming to the end.”

At this, I was flung into the air with a yelp before the Count caught me in a harsh grip. I cried out in pain as he squeezed my ribs tight to the point I was sure they’d break.

“It would be a waste to let all this time go to not enjoy them myself.”

“It’s the human or nothing.” The Duke insisted. “You have nothing more that I want.”

I risked looking up at the Duke again, the fire in his eyes seemed to have tripled. “It’s as you said, humans are incredibly rare. Are they truly worth a yearly supply of better income?”

My Masters hand began to squeeze tighter around me and I’m only lucky that the air had been forced out of my lungs enough before I could scream. His anger being directed on the only thing he could control in the moment, only for the pressure to leave as quickly as it came and I found myself falling.

“Deal.”

And that was the only warning I had before everything flashed a violent white. My whole body was in complete and utter agony and yet I couldn’t even scream. I could feel silent tears dripping down my face as my vision began to dance with black blurry spots. This is where I died.

Everything felt cold, until it wasn’t.

I felt myself engulfed in pure warmth as careful hands moved and cradled my broken body. I could hear muffled voices shouting and moving before the slamming of a door ceased all else. Dark blobs broke in between the black and I knew deep down I was in the Duke’s hands, but the soft warmth they provided blurred all other judgment. I hadn’t been warm- truly warm since I’d been brought here, and yet somehow I was now at ease.

Perhaps it was just my mind twisting the truth as a last mercy to let me die peacefully.

“Rest now,” A voice whispered over head as the world faded to black. “I’ve got you now.”

Funny how my mind could create such a promise after so much pain…

✩₊˚.⋆⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆⋆⁺₊✧

Don't worry, the Duke's actually the good guy in this lol. I have it head cannoned that he fixes them all up and helps them get home.

I may write onto this, I might not who knows! The fact I've written in a different pov to me is wild though! Thank you to squishy, xyz and especially munchkin for beta reading this. (Seriously savior on my grammar qwp) Thank you if you read this far and I hope you enjoyed!!!!

Tag List Link here: @local-squishmallow @brick-a-doodle-do @justarandomsloth @veryfunkycheesecake @munchkin1156 @kayla-crazy-stuffs @da3dm @eiscreme135 @orchid-harmony @the-tiny-lurker @colossal-red @nobodywritingao3 @nata2343 @bad-author777 @crazyfoxgirl10 @guppybubbles

(also side note: other wips are still being written. I am aware JORNOS has not updated in months but it's not been forgotten <3)

#this was really good #g/t #vore mention #male giant #writing

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sm0lprism · 20 days ago

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SLEEPING W A GIANT

You’d fallen asleep tucked against the warm stretch of their collarbone, the way you always did when they let you, folded into the dip of skin where scent gathered, where the rise and fall of their breathing made the world sway like a lullaby. One hand loosely cupped nearby. A comfort. A promise.

But sometime in the night, whilst both sleeping, you had slipped onto the pillow, they turned. A murmur in their sleep. A twitch.

You stirred a little just as the whole sky shifted, slow and inevitable, came down upon you with a sleepy grumble.

The weight wasn’t sudden. It was gradual. Sinking. In your own sleepy state you hardly had the time to protest.

Their face, broad and soft, slack with sleep, rolled gently onto you, not maliciously, just… thoughtlessly. The full slope of their cheek pressed down, warm and plush, smothering you into the bedding without even the grace of warning. A sigh followed, blowing warm air into the sheets as they settled in, face nestled into the plush pillow.

And for you. It was like having a mattress dropped on you when your back was turned.

You were pinned beneath the gentle press of skin, every inch of you molded to the velvet curve of their cheek. It should’ve hurt. It didn’t. Not really. But gods, it smothered. Your arms pinned. Your legs twisted. Your cheek pressed to theirs, sweat-slick and twitching.

You could feel their heartbeat in your bones. The low rumble of their breath vibrated through your ribs. You were part of them like this. Absorbed.

A soft groan rumbled above, a sigh, maybe. They simply nuzzled closer, as if even in sleep they knew it was you they slept upon.

And when they stirred, finally, some endless time later. When they groaned sleepily and shifted again.

You didn’t come free right away.

Their head lifted, slow and groggy, and your body came with it. Stuck. For one horrifying second, you were half-glued to the soft skin of their cheek, pulled upward by the light sheen of sweat and sheer contact alone. You peeled off with a wet little sound that neither of you would ever mention again.

You flopped back onto the pillow like a dropped ragdoll. Your limbs splayed. Your hair stuck to your face. You gasped.

Their eye opened at the sound.

Just one. Bleary. Focused on the vague outline of you below.

And then they blinked. “…mm?.”

Their voice was cracked with sleep, the low timbre of it dragging goosebumps up your spine. “Shit. Did I…?”

You just groaned weakly in response, lifting one hand to make a vague, defeated motion. Their expression twisted, sheepish and horrified in equal measure. A huge hand hovered over you, then scooped you up with the care of someone handling a very small, very squashed miracle.

They brought you close. A thumb brushed against your side, gentle, apologetic. Or maybe checking you were still in one piece. You couldn’t help the tiny whimper it drew from you. You felt them flinch at the sound.

“Are you okay…?” they asked, barely more than breath. “I didn’t mean to. I—”

You waved a hand. Or tried to. It was more a twitch than anything. Still, they seemed to get the message.

They curled around you slowly, cupping your body like a prayer, face hovering just above as they whispered, “im sorry~ just.. just stay up here. Near my collarbone.. I’ll stay awake this time so you can get some rest”

Yet a deep yawn betrayed them as they sunk back into the pillows, eyes dark, watching. You knew they’d likely fall asleep again, looked too tired to even make a promise to stay up.

You didn’t trust your voice. But your hand closed weakly around the edge of their thumb for some self assurance. And even half-suffocated and sore, you found yourself smiling a little as you closed your eyes.

#AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH #the fluff!!!!#this is everything #g/t #writing

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sm0lprism · 20 days ago

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Maybe he thinks you're cute

#g/t

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sm0lprism · 20 days ago

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some big blue(+little buddy) content for yall -

[drew this off a base. og below]

#g/t #sonic #sonic g/t

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sm0lprism · 21 days ago

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Bite-Sized (21) - A G/t BG3 Fanfic

This contains g/t (giant/tiny content) so if that isn't your thing, then I suggest you stop reading. Thank you!

Read on AO3

Chapter 1 || Series master list| Previous chapter

Summary: The group finally descend into the Shadow Cursed Lands on their journey to Moonrise Towers.

Pairing: Astarion x f!borrower!oc (Tav/oc) (slow-burn)

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, blood, gore, death, course language. Basically typical violence that is prevalent in the game.

Word count: 3.2k

A/N: IT'S FINALLY HERE AHHH. I am sincerely sorry that this chapter took forever! Time really does fly on by quickly, doesn't it? To summarise, I started a new job in late March and have been mostly adjusting and learning that, and trying to find time to write all between it as well as my other hobbies. Not to mention I have been suffering from the biggest writers block for this fic - but I finally got through it and wrote most of this over the past couple of days. It's weird, some days I can write so much in the span of one evening, but some days I can't get even one word onto a document. Oh well, I'm glad it's here. I will also mention that a lot of the dialogue from this is taken directly from the game, as well as a lot of what happens in terms of the scenes that play out, so I can't take full credit for the dialogue here. There are some obvious variations sprinkled throughout, so even if you are as familiar with the game as I am, you'll get something out of this. Anyways, happy reading!

Taglist: @whatthisfemsheplikes @alexcutecolly @rose7420 @empressxmachina @taters169 @feral-sins @smolgloves @smolkuriboh27 @junipers-teacup (if you want to be removed or added to the taglist, feel free to let me know!)

Nothing could quite prepare Ria for the harrowing dread and utter despair that emanated from the Shadow Cursed Lands. While Halsin had described the place as dangerous and terrifying, she still hadn’t been ready when they had entered through the ominous hallway that linked the Grymforge to the Shadow Cursed Lands. It was as if all of her life’s essence had been drained from her body as soon as they had stepped into the dreadful place and she had to suppress a shiver. She had noticed a considerable drop in temperature, and somewhat cautiously, she nervously peeked her head out of Astarion’s breast pocket.

Twisted, dark trees protruded from the lifeless ground and curled into the air like the fingers on a hag. No natural light was to be seen as darkness smothered every single stretch of land that she could see. Chills snaked down her spine as the feeling of dread washed over her once more, threatening to swallow her whole.

Next to Astarion, Karlach released a shaky exhale. “This place is dark beyond dark. You feel it too, right? I’m sticking to light wherever I can find it.”

“That’s no ordinary darkness. It feels powerful…and familiar,” Shadowheart said. “Stay on your guard.”

“Make sure to keep your torches lit,” Halsin instructed, holding up a flaming torch enclosed in his fist. “If we do not have enough light, the shadow curse will consume us. Stick close together, everyone.”

“This sure looks like an inviting place,” Ria murmured, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I wish I could stetch my legs, though. I’ve gone a bit stiff riding in your pocket for so long, Astarion. Do you think you could move me to your shoulder for a little bit?”

Astarion’s red gaze briefly flicked down to her small head nestled at the lip of his pocket. “I think it’s best if you remain in there, my dear. This is hardly the place for borrowers.”

She raised one eyebrow as a small grin twitched against the corner of her mouth. “Oh? Are you afraid of little me getting hurt?”

A smirk broke across Astarion’s face right before he used the tip of his index finger to gently shove Ria’s head back into the inside of his pocket.

“H-hey!”

“I can’t have my favourite little borrower getting into trouble, can I?” His voice vibrated all around her as the lip of the pocket was soon sealed shut. “There are lot of things out here, other than vampires, that would make a quick snack of you darling.”

Huffing softly, she slammed her back against his chest to get her point across, and wrapped a clean handkerchief around her shoulders for extra warmth. She couldn’t argue with him, he was right, after all. Being as small as she was left her insanely vulnerable, but out in the Shadow Cursed Lands, things were even more dangerous for a borrower. Despite her training with both Lae’zel and Gale, she was still at risk the most out of everyone there.

It still surprised her to see Astarion show this protective side to him. Ever since that night, when she had suggested that she touch his fangs to help her get past her fears, they had continued to grow even closer. She would happily ride on his shoulder during their travels, or travel in his breast pocket. They would laugh and joke together playfully, and during the evenings, she would spend most nights at his tent before leaving to go sleep at Shadowheart’s. At this stage, she wasn’t entirely sure what their relationship even was, but it made her happy. A part of her was still perplexed that she had even managed to somehow fall for a cruel, deadly, sarcastic vampire who, at one point, had tried to eat her. But, oddly enough, it felt right. She hoped that Astarion felt the same way.

“Who goes there?”

An unfamiliar voice rang through her eardrums and she immediately felt Astarion’s body tense up against her back. While she couldn’t see what was going on, she could hear everything and judging from Astarion’s reaction, this didn’t seem good.

“Show yourself!”

“We mean you no harm,” Wyll’s calm, soothing voice vibrated through the cold air. “We’re just a group of travellers passing through.”

“If you mean us no harm, step into the light.”

Astarion’s body slowly inched forward, and she could feel his giant footsteps rattle through her small frame. Curiosity began to itch away at her brain as she anxiously twiddled her thumbs. A part of her wanted to see who these newcomers were, and why they were out in the Shadow Lands. If it was only for a brief moment, it wouldn’t hurt, right? Nobody would notice a thing. Besides, she was still safely inside Astarion’s pocket, and they’d have to get through him first if they wanted to get to her.

Very cautiously, she inched her way up towards the opening of the pocket and pushed her head through. A group of three humans and a dwarf stood before them. One human woman had her hair tied back in a long ponytail and she had a flaming torch firmly in her grasp. The other woman had dark, long wavy hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. The third human, a man, had long blonde hair tied back and a thick beard. The dwarf stood beside him with a crossbow at the ready.

“Yonas! Move in!” The woman with dark wavy hair commanded, gesturing towards the light surrounding them from their torches.

The blonde bearded man, Yonas, took one shaky step before immediately checking over his shoulder. Something stirred in the dark bushes behind them and a chilling moan filled the still air. Suddenly, a tall, dark, looming figure manifested behind Yonas and grabbed him by the ankles. Yonas cried out in shock as the dark figure dragged him off into the surrounding darkness, his fingernails digging helplessly into the dirt as he was carried away.

“Yonas? Yonas!”

The two women rushed towards where Yonas had disappeared, panic stricken all across their faces as they frantically searched for their missing friend.

“I’m here! Where are you?” Yonas called out into the darkness, his voice shaky.

“Yonas? Can you see our torches?”

“I can’t see anything,” Yonas replied. “Something’s wrong.”

“Follow my voice. Come back into the light.” The dark-haired woman said as calmly as she could muster.

“Who’s there? Meg? Is that – argh!”

Yonas’s screams and the sound of bones popping through flesh filled the dark hollow. Ria grimaced as the noises intensified and the tearing of human meat and bone filled her tiny eardrums.

“Yonas?” The dark-haired woman called out once more, except her voice was barely a whisper this time.

A ghostly, glowing green light quickly began to illuminate the area as a stumbling, groaning figure came into view. It was Yonas, except he looked horrific – skin was peeling off his face and his eyes glowed a sickly green. A dark encrusting fungus-like substance was growing across his skin on the spots where his flesh was falling off, and Ria felt her entire body grow cold as she stared at him. Everything in her body was screaming at her to run for her life.

“There you are…come…join me…” Yonas lumbered towards them with one twisted arm outstretched.

“Yonas…?” The dark-haired woman murmured, her breath catching in her throat.

“I’m afraid poor Yonas is bait – and this is a trap.” Astarion’s voice rumbled from above.

“Harpers! To arms!”

Astarion’s entire body tensed as he readied his crossbow and aimed it directly at Yonas’s head. Shadowheart’s hands began to glow with a divine, illuminating light that shone through the area and pushed back some of the shadowy creatures that were behind Yonas. Now, with the divine light that Shadowheart had provided, Ria could finally see the ghastly shadow creatures more clearly and a deathly chill snaked down her spine. Her body was almost completely frozen in place from fear, and instinctively, she ducked back down into the safety of Astarion’s pocket.

Yelling and shouting filled the air as the battle broke out, and she fiercely gripped onto the fabric of Astarion’s armour as she felt every single gigantic movement he made. She buried herself under the handkerchief and attempted to desperately shut out the noise of the battle. It was utterly terrifying, being so small and in the thick of a battle between titans in the darkest place in all of Faerûn.

A part of her felt so useless. While she was cowering amongst Astarion’s armour, her companions were out there fighting for their lives against some deathly shadow creatures. She could’ve offered them some ammunition with her magic. While she was still trying to grapple with her wild magic, she had learned a few tricks from Gale thanks to his lessons. But her fear paralysed her, and her body refused to move from her spot inside Astarion’s pocket.

After some time had passed, the noise of battle eventually died down. The walls of Astarion’s pocket suddenly pressed down against her small frame very softly, suggesting that he was pressing his hand against the pocket, perhaps telling her that the danger was gone. Very slowly, she crept to the opening of the pocket and peered out.

The shadow creatures were now gone, along with Yonas. The two women and dwarf were still alive and were now tending to their wounds. Everyone else from their party seemed to be alright, and there appeared to be no serious injuries. Shadowheart was still illuminating her divine light around the group, and Ria felt a small feeling of warmth blossom through her as the holy light touched her.

“Thanks for the help back there.” The dark-haired woman approached them, wiping a smear of blood off the side of her face. “My name is Lassandra. And this is Meygan and Karrow.” She gestured to her two remaining companions. “We would’ve been done for if it hadn’t been for you.”

“We would never refuse people in need,” Halsin answered. “It was no problem at all.”

Astarion breathed sharply through his nose and while she couldn’t see his eyes, she had a strong feeling that he was rolling them into the back of his head.

“We are sorry for the loss of your companion,” Gale added, his brown eyes solemn.

“Thank you. Yonas wasn’t the first to be lost to this cursed place. Us Harpers will live on for him.” Lassandra breathed a deep sigh, her gaze forlorn. “There is a refuge from the darkness, the Last Light Inn. You all can rest there.”

“Ah, I take it the shadow curse is not afflicted in that area?” Gale questioned.

“The inn is protected by Isobel, a Cleric of Selune. She casts a warding spell to keep the curse at bay. We’ll guide you there.” Lassandra nodded at the remaining Harpers and they soon began to trek into the harrowing darkness. The rest of the group followed them without hesitation.

“A cleric of Selune…how wonderful.” Shadowheart muttered bitterly under her breath.

Ria remained utterly motionless inside Astarion’s pocket. Perhaps it was a good thing that the Harpers had failed to notice her, but a part of her was worried about how these people would react to her existence. For now, at least, she could remain undetected in the comfort of Astarion’s armour.

It didn’t take long for the party to reach the Last Light Inn. Almost immediately Ria noticed a change in the air. Instead of the harsh, cold, emptiness that she had felt since entering the Shadow Cursed Lands, a comforting feeling of warmth washed over her as they passed over a bridge leading to the inn.

A dark-skinned elf woman and dwarf stood at the other side of the bridge. Immediately they grabbed their weapons, aiming it at the approaching group.

“You lot! Step forward and keep your hands off your weapons!” The elf woman yelled.

“Hold on Elifer!” Lassandra jumped forward and presented her palms to the elf woman. “This group helped us out in the shadows. Without them we wouldn’t have made it.”

Elifer relaxed her stance and lowered her weapon, her gaze scanning over the entire group. Ria, feeling her gaze, immediately retreated into the depths of Astarion’s pocket. She didn’t want to risk being seen when tensions were so high.

“Come.”

Rattling footsteps travelled through her body as Astarion began to move. While she couldn’t see what was going on anymore, she could certainly feel everything.

“Jaheira!”

A moment of quiet passed and nobody said anything. Ria waited anxiously with bated breath as the seconds ticked by.

Just what is going on out there?

Her nerves got the better out of her as she slowly peered out of the lip of the pocket. She was still somewhat concealed with only her eyes barely peeking over the top. It would take someone staring insanely intently for them to notice her. A half-elf woman, who she assumed must be Jaheira, stood in front of the group. She had long silver hair with beaded braids woven throughout her locks and a piercing glare that could shatter glass.

Jaheira suddenly crouched towards the ground as glowing lights beamed from her hands. Large roots exploded out of the dirt and hungrily wrapped themselves across Astarion and the rest of the group. Ria was nearly jostled out of her spot as Astarion recoiled from the giant vines and tree roots that entangled around his feet and legs.

“Is a simple ‘hello’ too much to ask for nowadays?” Astarion muttered grumpily, grunting from the strong vines that were squeezing his legs.

“Hello,” Jaheira replied with a smirk.

“We mean you no harm,” Wyll said gently. “Please, just let us earn your trust.”

“Lies can be easily formed from even the kindest of faces.” Jaheira reached into her satchel and pulled out a glass jar. What was inside the jar made Ria’s skin crawl. A hideous mindflayer parasite squirmed against the confines of the jar as Jaheira brought it into the light.

Let’s hope that I never have to get close to one of those things, she thought as she watched the parasite thrash around inside the jar.

“It is a curious creature that hides all manner of secrets. But if there’s one thing that we know–” Jaheira stepped closer towards Astarion and held the jar close to him, “–is that it knows its own kind.”

Astarion flinched as the parasite in the jar squirmed even harder. Ria glanced directly upwards and saw the grimace painted across his face. A part of her wanted to do something, anything, to help, but what exactly could she do? She was just a tiny borrower, after all. Whatever Jaheira was planning for her group of companions, she had no power to stop her. But…perhaps she could divert Jaheira’s attention away from her friends.

“Stop this!” Ria yelled from inside Astarion’s pocket. “They mean no harm, I swear! I’ve been travelling with them for many moons now. They are not True Souls.”

“Ah, so I see the True Souls have a tiny pet?” Jaheira’s steely gaze snapped to where Ria was, her face hardening. “That is…interesting. You have no wings, so you are certainly no pixie…oh, you must be a borrower! I thought they were long extinct. Hmm, I suppose you must be a lucky one, eh?”

“I am no pet,” Ria retorted, a small fire igniting in her belly. “Just let my friends go, please. They can explain everything.”

Jaheira ignored her comment and instead raised an eyebrow, curiosity now spreading across her sharp features.

“And what is interesting is that you are in the pocket of a vampire. Let me guess, he is keeping you as a pocket snack for later?” Jaheira said.

“She is not food,” Astarion spat venomously, flashing his teeth briefly. “Leave her out of this.”

Jaheira chuckled lightly at Astarion’s remark.

“My goodness, I never would’ve expected a vampire to act so defensive over a borrower of all creatures,” she responded. “But I do not care what the borrower has to say. You never should have come here, True Soul.”

“What are you doing? They are the ones who saved us!”

A small, young tiefling girl ran up to Jaheira and aggressively tugged on the druid’s tunic. Jaheira ceased concentration on her spell, and the vines that had erupted from the ground quickly vanished.

“They are the ones who protected the Emerald Grove?” Jaheira said in disbelief.

“Yup. Didn’t leave a goblin standing. Not so bad to hang around with either.” The tiefling girl flashed a pointy smile at the group, her face practically beaming. “I’d pretty much trust them all with my life.” The girl paused, flicking her gaze towards Astarion. “Well, except for that one, but the rest are good.”

“Excuse me?” Astarion spluttered. “I helped save the tieflings and you know it, Mol!”

Jaheira turned to Mol, her gaze narrowed. “Mol, are you being serious?”

“I am very serious,” Mol responded earnestly. “And don’t worry, the elven prick is fine, I just wanted to mess with him. They’re all fine.”

Ria did not recognise the tiefling child, but she was grateful all the same that she had stepped in to stop Jaheira, and she had to stifle a giggle upon hearing her comment on Astarion. She liked Mol already.

“True Souls with minds of their own…” Jaheira continued, still in disbelief as she grappled to comprehend what was happening. “How is that possible?”

“Because of this artefact.” Shadowheart stepped forward with the strange artefact in one hand and presented it to Jaheira.

Jaheira stared at the glowing artefact and held up her jar that contained the mindflayer parasite. The parasite inside the jar squealed, almost as if it was being burned alive, before exploding into a disgusting pile of goo. Jaheira, dumbfounded, glanced at the jar and then back at the artefact.

“What in the hells is that thing?” she breathed.

Shadowheart paused, as if she was considering how to choose her words carefully. Ria knew that the artefact that she carried meant a great deal to her, and was important to her Shar worship.

“So far, it’s been a life saver. Here’s hoping you agree.” Shadowheart placed the artefact back into her supplies and stared firmly at Jaheira.

Jaheira processed Shadowheart’s words, her expression hard to read as her eyes scanned the rest of the group.

“Congratulations. You’ve earned yourself the benefit of the doubt.” Jaheira waved her hand briefly in the air. “Hear me, Harpers! All clear, at ease.”

The surrounding Harpers immediately lowered their weapons and eased off.

“While there is a great mystery to the artefact that you hold, I’m old and wise enough to recognise a sliver of hope when it crawls out of the dark.”

A feeling of relief flooded through Ria’s body. Jaheira seemed somewhat happy with Shadowheart’s response, at least.

“Tell me – why have you all come here?” Jaheira questioned.

“We seek a cure for the parasites in our heads,” Gale explained. “Moonrise Towers has been our best shot at this. We were hoping to seek refuge at your inn.”

“Valid reasoning,” Jaheira answered. “Help yourself to the food in the inn. You are welcome to use the beds in the rooms upstairs, too. Aloe oil in the cupboard in case the vines gave you a rash. Settle in, then come join me for a drink. Your group may just be the godsend that we’ve been praying for.”

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sm0lprism · 26 days ago