#illusory...' no. cant right now. busy. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

valtamxrri · 5 years

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☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ / im jaebum, 27, he/him, male / ⟶ welcome to the big top gemini ryu! i heard that you go by anubis and that you’re twenty-seven and a/an wheel of death acrobat? that’s pretty impressive, considering you’ve been with the circus for 2 months. i heard people say you were hardworking and stoic, but also secretive and hot-tempered, and that you remind them of hidden meetings under bridges in the night, singed edges of crumpled letters, and blood patterns pressed into skin. guess we’ll see if it’s true, eh?

hello there muffins :( TIS I SKYE, here to present to you my actual demon gemini who fits his name p well tbh. this is going to be horrendous since i nearly ran over a deer and a rooster getting my ass home in time for opening, but i’m so excited to show him off to you ♡ ♡ ♡ !

p.s. i deadass just finished writing this and i cant even SEE IM SO TIRED everything looks like a muhfuckin van gogh painting bUT like this and i’ll hit you up as soon as i can function once more~

― * 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭.

full name; gemini ryu choi minseok

stagename; anubis

age; twenty-seven [27]

birthday; october 9, 1992

birthplace; seoul, south korea

gender; male

orientation; biromantic / bisexual

s/o status; single

specialization; wheel of death acrobat

time with la luna; 2 months

― * 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥.

fc; im jaebum

hair; nlack

eyes; black

height; 6′0″ ft

build; well-proportioned, tall and lean with quite a bit of muscle to him

marks/scars; multitudes across his body he always tries to cover, not necessarily from work

tattoos; n/a

piercings; multiple in his ears / conch, helix, upper/lower lobe

― * 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥

label; the illusory

myers briggs; istj

house; slytherin

religion; agnostic

enneagram; the individualist

big five; conscientiousness

chronic; n/a

fears; returning to seoul

― * 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.

[ warnings; abuse, death,

he never had the luxury of knowing his birth-parents, the matter of him being abandoned in the streets being drilled into his head by his ‘rescuers’ as they liked to dub themselves ― a married pair acting as the ringleaders of a smaller circus within seoul that had also adopted not only gemini but 7 other children as well.

there’s no time to be a kid when you’re a living spectacle for the masses that come to see the ‘freakshow’. he learns early on that there’s no respectability in the business, stuck in a constant loop of physical and mental abuse, expectancy he can barely reach, and competitiveness that could kill.

he’s the ‘middle child’ out of the odd group of siblings, but that doesn’t make him any less of a target ― where he fails, he’s ridiculed and beaten. where he succeeds, he’s picked apart and broken. it becomes common expectancy for gemini that a day without a bruise being pressed into his skin is about as rare as a pot of gold under a rainbow; still, he doesn’t let a depression sink in as much as it seems to hover over him like a cloud. promises of a brighter future and the dedication to get there are guarded behind a steely expression ― he might garner the appearance of allowing others to walk over him, but the reality was starkly different.

gemini is into his early twenties when he’s finally done ― done with life itself, done with being pushed around, done with others holding the reigns to his present, past, and future. having not been put in school throughout the entirety of his childhood, the only thing he practically knows is the circus and how not to die. still, it comes to him after a particular physical altercation with his ‘brother’ ― a menace who terrorized gemini as much as he could and practically made him regret ever even existing. the two had never gotten along, always butting heads with one another; that is, up until gemini snapped.

it was unfortunate enough that the two shared an act together ― duel acrobats upon the wheel of death, in sync with their art although hardly with their life. to gemini, however, it offered itself up as the perfect opportunity ― it’s as simple as messing with the bolts to his brother’s wheel right before they went on stage, resulting in a grandeur display of the entire thing, brother included, falling over 70 feet to the hard ground below. as was expected, a shattered skull and neck coupled with broken steel was all that remained of a part of the toxicity in gemini’s life ― and quite frankly, he never felt better.

while the rest of the ‘family’ mourned the lost of their poster child, the male had finally had enough, leaving in the night and disappearing off without a trace ― after years of mental and physical torture, he knew that anywhere outside of seoul was better.

the news reaches him a few months after the incident, coming in the form of a hushed letter from an old acquaintance he had barely kept ties with back in korea ― gemini was a fugitive, foul play suspected and confirmed after an investigation found the bolts loosened suspiciously out of place. suddenly, the male found himself being forced to ‘pack up’ whatever he had with him and go on the run, fleeing the country barely before making a beeline to china.

for the next 7 years, gemini drifts between multiple circuses across the world, never staying in one place for too long in order to be a step ahead before he’s being followed once more. he changes his name, forges all of his documents from scratch regardless of the punishments that could be garnered if someone found out ― he was a fugitive within seoul, what more could they do?

it’s a chance encounter, once more on the run but this time venturing up towards paris on a whim decision. gemini remembers traveling through the streets and seeing a sign depicting auditions for a certain ‘cirque de la luna’ ― the name rings a bell in the back of his mind, and he once again simply says why not? and finds himself applying for tryouts the moment he can

the last thing he expects is to be selected to join the cast, though he only hopes for now that it won’t blow his cover

#cirque:intro #intro #we out here #dying #and BARELY BEING ABLE TO FINISH THE BIO BUT YEAH #here's gem for you all #now im off to bed before i combust

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dndeviants · 5 years

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Rendezvous with Rictavio

Linda awakened early the next day. She felt well rested from sleeping on the large bed. She stretched... recalling the agreement to meet Rictavio at the Blue Water Inn.

She cursed herself for forgetting and getting caught up with Strahd. Linda walked over to the writing desk and searched for paper and a quill.

Having found the necessary things, she began to write in Thieves Cant, leaving a message for Aric and Jeeves:

I can answer a couple of the questions you asked me last night that I didn't know. I talked with the vampire and he enlightened me on what he knows. I am going to the inn to talk with Rictavio about some things. Please join me when you get this note. I will inform you what I know then.

-Linda

She threw on her coat and strapped her pack and weapons on. She folded the note up and slid it under the door to Aric’s room. She quickly left the house...

The morning air was cold, and the sky was cloudy. Mist gathered at her feet and caressed her cheek as she walked. She entered the Blue Water Inn and saw Rictavio...

Rictavio made a gesture and summoned an illusory rabbit, "It had a vicious streak a mile wide! And had big... sharp...pointy teeth!"

Linda rolled her eyes and looked around to the audience. It didn’t seem like the few Barovians there bought Rictavio’s story. She decided to spare them.

"Are you quite finished with your tall tale?” Linda asked, “I would like to have a word with you."

Rictavio snapped toward her voice, relief washing over his face as he saw her, "Alright. My room? Away from any eavesdroppers?"

Linda nodded and crossed her arms, "Sounds good to me."

Rictavio guided her up the stairs and led her to his room. Once they were inside, he closed the door and locked it. He turned to Linda and put his hands on his hips.

"What the hell?” He exclaimed, “Where were you? I thought you were coming back to the Inn? We had things to discuss!"

Linda held her hands up defensively, "Look things came up. I didn't intend to not keep my word."

He sighed in frustration, "Alright. So... what happened?"

Linda put her hands in her pockets, "Vasili invited us to dinner at his house."

"Wha-?" Rictavio blinked and threw his hands up in the air, utterly disbelieving, "And you went? You know who he really is!"

"Yes, we went and confronted him about what we know,” her tone was short, “He knows that we know, but it's fine. I convinced him to still be calm about everything.”

She sat on the bed, “Everyone is still going forward with the plan. He is going to be traveling with us.”

She looked at his stunned face, admitting, “And I have revealed my other profession to him. He knows that I am a hunter,” she locked eyes with him, “I am making a call: No Action. As long as his behavior continues on his current path, I have no reason to kill him. From what I can tell, he is actually trying to fix the things he has done against his people and working to better himself.”

She crossed her arms, “For me, that is good enough."

Rictavio took a moment to absorb everything that she told him. He sighed, not wanting to fight, "Okay. I guess that is good enough.”

He leaned against a desk, “So... That means... finding my uncle is going to be a bit tricky. He's not gonna know your call. And I'm not exactly trusting ‘Vasili’ to keep calm if we find him. Considering the history... but I guess we will just cross that bridge when we get to it."

Linda wondered if Rictavio’s uncle was a monster hunter as well. Rictavio slung his pack over his back. He turned to her, asking, "So... are we going to head out to travel? Help out Urwin, stretch the legs a bit?"

"That is the plan,” Linda affirmed, “Though, I am waiting on Aric and Jeeves to get here so that I can give them some information before we meet up with the others. Also, there are two traveling with us that should not be told that Vasili is Strahd. We would have problems and I want to keep them as allies."

Rictavio nodded his acknowledgement as they left the room and headed back downstairs.

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

Aric awakened, sensing movement in the house. He slipped out of bed, and saw a piece of folded parchment by his door. Curious, he went and unfolded it, reading a coded letter:

-Linda

Aric shook his friend, speaking Alzhedo, "Jeeves, wake up. Seems Linda spoke with Strahd."

Jeeves slowly rose from the bed, whispering, "Linda...? Ah. She figure out something? Do I need to stab someone?"

Jeeves groggily reached for his weapons.

Aric shook his head, "I don't think so, but who knows. She wants us to meet her at the inn. Apparently, she went to see Rictavio."

Jeeves nodded, half-asleep, "Good... it's too early for stabbing. I wonder what she needed to talk to the weird doppelganger about...” He stretched, “Eh, probably shady monster-hunting-monster business."

Aric waited for Jeeves to wake up fully, both of them equipping their gear. Jeeves nodded to Aric:

"Alright. I am ready. Let us depart, my lord."

They briskly walked down the stairs, passing by Mina, who was busy in the kitchen. They walked past Ruki as she walked down the street to head back to the manor.

Townsfolk were starting to walk the streets, and took down festival decorations. They arrived at Blue Water, and saw Rictavio standing and lecturing about the dangers of werebadgers, while Linda watched on with tired embarrassment.

“They can burrow twenty feet in a mere span of six seconds! And they have claws as sharp as steel! Teeth like knives! And they smell of rot!" Rictavio cried out. He pointed to a random audience member, "They can be beneath your very feet!"

Linda sighed.

Jeeves folded his arms and looked to Aric, still speaking in Alzhedo, "He's such a bad actor. He gets paid to do this?"

Aric shrugged, “I suppose...” though he honestly didn’t see how.

Linda saw the boys and waved them over, "Please be more entertaining than this joke."

Aric nodded to her, "That shouldn't be too difficult for us."

Jeeves jokingly pointed to Aric, "He's a better juggler than I am."

"Come sit, let us talk," Linda indicated the empty chairs.

Aric looked suspiciously around the Inn. He leaned over to Linda and whispered in Thieves Cant, "Can't be too careful...” he made a small gesture, “So what did you uncover about our friend?"

Jeeves folded his hands on top of the table, and leaned in attentively.

“He is the First Vampire,” Linda replied, “And that even though he is young comparatively, it means nothing because we are in the Shadowfell... and time moves at it's own pace here. Time is relative, so who knows how old he really is."

Linda grew serious, "This means that he can be older than any other recorded vampire and has powers beyond any that we already know...” She held out her hand, “Before, he could only walk in the day because of magic. He had an artifact that took on the damage from the sun.”

She paused, “Now, he doesn't need it for that and can use it during battle to negate damage dealt to him. He also can grow more powerful than he already is on his birthday... which is the seventeenth of this month... Three days."

Aric sat in stunned silence. He recognized the Shadowfell from his study of the cosmos and theology... He knew that the Shadowfell was a transitive plane of darkness, where monstrous creatures sprang forth from, and where evil was a primal element... But... he thought that there were no living beings in the Shadowfell. Anything that lived in the Shadowfell succumbed to madness after a few weeks, and were barely able to survive to tell about it... the fact that there was an entire country in the Shadowfell surprised, and disturbed him deeply.

"I didn't know anything living could survive the Shadowfell,” Aric admitted, “Though I suppose if people have been here for so long, we should be fine...” He tried to remain optimistic, “The mists that Ruki used to bring us here must be part of the Shadowfell as well then.”

He thought for a moment, “And Strahd is the First Vampire. That is unusual."

"Indeed,” Jeeves agreed, “There has to be something more to this... How is Mehmet involved? And those werewolves..."

Linda shrugged, "That I haven't figured out yet. Though, I have a hunch that everything is connected by some underlying force,” she paused, “Something is not right about this place."

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

Ruki stared through the crystal ball, searching for Strahd’s guests while he paced in the study of Vasili’s manor.

The vampire was fuming. Mina had spent the early hours of the morning preparing breakfast for his guests, only to have them leave... Their rudeness reflected badly on him, and even worse than that, she was just about ready to force feed him the food she had prepared.

Insufferable woman. Insufferable guests...

Ruki furrowed her brows in concentration, “My lord, please... I need to concentrate.”

Strahd forced himself to calm, “Apologies,” he leaned against the wall, folding his cloak around him.

Better. Ruki was able to pull an image of the three outsiders gathered around the table at Blue Water Inn... speaking that awful slang-

No... It has to be a language of some sort... A coded language... She focused her mystic energy to pry into their minds, allowing them to gift their knowledge of the language to her... but only temporarily.

She listened, and looked to Strahd, "They are in the inn, my lord, discussing your... history."

Strahd stood, on edge, "Indeed? I shall have to be wary of them...” He paused, “But I will not make any overt action yet. I need to get them to return... Mina is not happy about everyone abandoning her from breakfast... and I will be sick if I have to pretend to eat another damn apple dumpling!"

Ruki nodded and stood, “Do you wish me to fetch them, my lord?”

Strahd shook his head, “No. Stay here, and appease Mina for the time being. I will gather my guests back,” he walked over to the door of the study, grabbing his top hat off of a wall hook before exiting the room.

He donned the hat and his Vasili persona before exiting his house. He took a moment and examined the light in the sky... No sun. There hadn’t been any true sunlight since the last year.

Today it benefited him greatly. He took the time to transform into a tiny bat and cover greater distance in a shorter time. He flew over to the side of the Inn, and hid, making sure none could see him as he transformed back into Vasili.

He walked around to the front and opened the door, entering. He glanced and saw his three outsider guests gathered around, speaking in furtive tones...

He forced himself to remain calm as he observed them using a coded language to discuss him. He wasn’t naive enough to assume that they were using a coded language in a public space for his benefit...

He let the tiredness show on his face as he approached them, doing his best to remain civil. “Good morning...” he started, “May I ask why you are not joining us for breakfast? Mina is pitching a fit.”

Linda was genuinely surprised, "We just came to meet up with Rictavio,” She looked down guiltily, “I didn't know we were being made breakfast already..."

Strahd examined her reaction and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Foreigners... Though he could hardly blame them for not knowing. He felt his anger at them drain... an odd feeling.

He explained, "It is the host's responsibility to provide for his guests. It would be bad mannered to not provide you with breakfast, since I allowed you to stay in my home...”

He also gave the selfish reason as well, “And if I have to... eat... another apple dumpling, I am going to be sick."

Linda stood, “Alright, alright. We’ll head back now...” She stood and called to Rictavio, “Let’s go.”

Rictavio bowed even though the applause from the patrons was sparse. “Thank you, thank you,” he acknowledged the three people who clapped, “Catch me next week! I will regale you with even more stories!”

He ignored the groaning, “Don’t be too excited. Ta-ta!”

Rictavio slung his pack over his shoulder and walked over to the group, “Where to?”

“My house,” Vasili replied, “and you better be hungry, or else my maid is threatening to quit."

Linda made a dismissive gesture, "Even if we aren't, we will pretend we are and eat."

"I could stand to eat. Jeeves?" Aric looked to his companion.

Jeeves’ stomach rumbled. He put a hand over it in a vain attempt to silence it. His face remained stoic, "I may be a little peckish."

"I like food,” Rictavio declared, “Complimentary? I don't have much spending money."

Vasili waved him down dismissively, "Yes, complementary. Now, let's hurry before she quits..."

The man turned and walked briskly out the door, his guests following him to the manor... the aroma of sweet apples and pastries greeted them long before they reached the front door.

When they entered, they found Mina lounging on the couch, Ruki sipping on tea, and Victor eating at the table. There was a place set for Ireena and Ismark, but it appeared that they had already eaten and left for Barovia village.

Victor sheepishly ate, "M-miss Mina... I'm... getting kind of full..."

Mina snapped, “Someone’s got to eat it!”

Ruki set down her tea, and looked to the outsiders in acknowledgement, “Ah they are back...” She shook her head at their rudeness, “My, my, you all have upset Lady Mina terribly.”

Mina scowled at them, “Oh, look who it is...”

"Our apologies Lady Mina,” Aric bowed his head in apology, “We didn't mean to offend, we just went to find Rictavio."

Mina acted as if she didn’t hear him correctly, “Wait... Rictavio? That no-good story teller?"

"Something smells wonderful!" Rictavio waltzed into the dining room. He sat next to Victor and began to stuff his face.

Ruki murmured in amusement so that only she could hear, “Ah yes, the doppelganger...”

Mina blinked at Rictavio, and then gave a questioning glance to Vasili.

Victor slowly raised a hand, “Miss Harper... can I...?”

"Yes, if you are done, you can leave. You did your part," Mina folded her arms, still feeling spurned.

Victor hopped out of the chair and made himself scarce. As he fell out, everyone else piled in, helping themselves to the food, and piling the goodies on their plates.

Mina eased a little bit and rose from the couch. She was no longer wearing a maid’s garb, but instead was dressed in full leather armor, with a crossbow at her side. Scratches, scuffs, and stitches in the leather made it clear to all gathered that she had been in combat before.

"Good. I hate making food that goes to waste. How is everything?" Mina asked.

Linda gave her the thumbs up while still eating.

Aric sat and stared at the food on his plate, untouched. He looked questioningly over to Jeeves.

Jeeves had gotten too carried away in eating, but then noticed Aric’s glance. He cleared his throat and wiped his face, “Ahem. The food is excellent. You may partake, my lord.”

Aric nodded and began to stuff his face, starting with the savory and finishing with the sweet.

Vasili walked over to Mina, lowering his voice, "Excuse them. They didn't know our customs. It is my fault for not explaining to them. They didn't mean to be rude."

Mina nodded and glanced to Vasili, "So... once they are done eating, I'm taking a vacation from maid work, and going along as a... bodyguard and tracker? Where are we going again?"

“We will be headed toward Krezk,” Vasili stated, “Probably making a detour to the Wizard of Wines, first. Which, I need to ask a few questions of my guests..."

Vasili folded his hands into his cloak as he approached the party, "On the way to Krezk, there are a few detours we can take.”

“We can take an off-road path, and pass Lake Baratok; or take the on-road path. The Wizard of the Wines is a little further away than Krezk, a little further south. Krezk is essentially straight on the road... Do we want to take the off-road path? Or the on-road path? And do you want to visit the Wizard of Wines before, or after going to Krezk?"

Linda set down her silverware, "I want to go to Krezk. So whichever path gets me there the quickest. I don't mind going off-road if it means it can be faster."

Aric nodded, slicing into some ham, "I agree, but personally I would like to see the lake, what do you think, Jeeves?"

Jeeves pondered, "I think I would like to see the lake. We've seen some of your towns and villages... but perhaps it would be nice to do a scenic route... stop by the lake for a bit. Relieve some stress of travel. None of us like being confined in a carriage all the time."

Linda nodded, "That's a good point."

"Very well,” Vasili noted, “We can go take the off-road path... which is quicker, but a little bit more dangerous for the common folk. Wolves and all... but we should be fine...”

Especially since the wolves answer to me, he mused. “We definitely have time to see the lake. Perhaps take a swim if you so fancied."

Mina’s face grew thoughtful, "Being in the woods would give me a chance to start seeing if I can help you track those werewolves. Everyone seems to report them in that area."

Victor raised a finger, "Ah... maybe I could practice magic... You are a mage, Lord Holtz? You could probably give me advice on a few of the spells in here..."

Vasili clasped his hands, "It's decided then. Ruki, let's pack up the carriage and head that way. Do you want to take Harald with us?"

Vasili turned, not waiting for a reply, "I'll leave it up to you. If he's not coming, be sure to leave the back door open for him to get out as he needs."

Ruki stood and whistled, “Come, Harald.”

Everyone loaded up the carriage, filing in and making sure everything they needed was with them.

The horse-less carriage started to ride with just a small gesture. Soon, they were out of Vallaki, riding along the Svalich Road.

Ruki pet Harald as he sat loyally by her feet. Strahd, still maintaining his Vasili disguise sat next to Ruki. Linda, feeling brave, sat next to him. Victor, Rictavio, and Mina sat together, while Aric and Jeeves sat in the back, not wanting to be near the big dog.

Linda looked out of her window as she rode, pulling back the small curtains. Pine trees, beautiful and ancient, shaded this quaint little path, and obscured the distant mountains. Wolves darted into the woods, pursuing an elk... a small rabbit hopped into its burrow near a small spring...

It’s peaceful, she thought. She could have more easily enjoyed this if she weren’t so worried about Timothy.

Ruki stared absentmindedly outside her window, before catching a glimpse of a small gray bird with a long, colorful tail. Vista-chiri... birds of the Vistani. Wherever there were vista-chiri, there were Vistani nearby... the same could be said vice versa.

Interesting, I didn’t think there were any camps this far out, Ruki thought to herself.

Aric fixed his eyes on Harald. He shook his head, That is definitely a wolf. I don’t know how Strahd managed to convince me otherwise. That is a wolf.

The carriage rolled to a stop after an hour. Vasili stood, opening the door for everyone. “You wanted to see Lake Baratok?“ he asked.

They left the black carriage. A vast, blue, glittering lake greeted them, even though the sky was cloudy. Magnificent pines and large rocks surrounded the lake... a small inlet held up a large tower... outside which was a colorful wagon.

Ruki felt drawn to the wagon. It looked like one of the Vistani’s. Without speaking, she walked with her staff in the direction of the wagon and the strange tower.

Linda noticed Ruki’s odd behavior and followed after her.

Not wanting to be left out, Aric and Jeeves followed her.

Rictavio walked out of the carriage, breathing in at the sight, “Wow, that is pretty- hey Linda where are you going?" He rushed after them.

Mina folded her arms and spoke to Vasili, "I'm going to see what I can figure out about this area."

Victor sat down on the beach and began to study his spellbook as Mina went opposite of everyone else.

Vasili narrowed his eyes at everyone heading toward the tower. He walked to the tower. He had not been there in many, many years.

Ruki looked at the wagon. It was definitely Vistani, but she didn’t recognize it as any clan... It was unusual for her people to go anywhere alone... So this was either an outcast, or a survivor...

Aric and Linda walked ahead, looking at the tower. They saw a door with an odd plaque, several markings that looked like people... and one symbol connecting them all. No lock or handle... this door appeared to open by magic.

Linda looked over to Strahd, who was lingering behind, "Hey, you know magic. Look at this."

Strahd maintained his Vasili persona. He blinked and looked at the door, "Ah... this must be Khazan's tower."

Strahd pointed up to the name above the door, just barely obscured from view. He explained, "He was a court mage for Strahd when he became ruler of this land. He helped design some of the magical defenses for Castle Ravenloft. This appears to be a unique sigil to open up the tower. I haven't been over here in some time... but I believe to open it you have to follow the pattern on the door in a sort of 'dance'. You have to do gestures in the right order... or else some kind of trap will go off."

Linda blinked and looked to all gathered. Herself, Jeeves, Aric, Ruki, Rictavio... She turned to the man, "Strahd... everyone in earshot knows who you are."

Strahd looked to Rictavio, frowning... Ah, yes. The little imbecile that tried to out me. How fortunate for him that my guests have remained amiable to me...

"Don't feel bad,” Rictavio smirked, “If it wasn't for that book, I'd never know. We are both bad actors."

Strahd bristled at the insult, but stayed quiet.

Rictavio looked to the sigil, "So... which one is the right pattern of gestures? Left path? Or right path?"

Strahd shoved away his annoyance and examined the sigil. He remembered coming here some time ago, while Khazan still lived... He should have remembered the sequence- the old fool drilled it into his head over and over again just so he could have lessons in magic... Blast my memory... Strahd grumbled, embarrassed, "I... don't remember."

Linda crossed her arms. If Strahd didn’t remember the sequence... "What happens if we get it wrong?"

Strahd paused, "Well, when we designed traps, it was meant to scare away intruders, and become increasingly lethal the closer you got to important areas...” he shrugged, “So I think if you get it wrong the first time... it should just be a warning."

Linda blinked at his nonchalant manner, "But it could be lethal if this is considered close to something important?!"

Strahd waved his hand dismissively, "I doubt it. Khazan was more vain than I am. He'd enjoy the build up and drama."

Linda sighed and looked to the sigil, “Here goes nothing,” she shrugged and started following the sequence from the right...

Electricity crackled in the air. Linda looked to Strahd, confused.

Strahd’s eyes widened, “Cover!”

Shit! Wrong start... Linda fumed and grabbed her hat, dodging lightning strikes, “Non-lethal my ass!”

Strahd grabbed Ruki and pulled her out of the way of one of the strikes, moving closer to the tower for cover. Aric bolted for cover-

Jeeves and Rictavio weren’t fast enough. Lightning glanced Jeeves, but Rictavio was hit directly by a strike.

Rictavio’s skin crawled, shifting from tan to blue, dropping the half-elf form, then turning back to the half-elf persona. He fell to his knees, voice wavering,"Wh-what the hell was that?"

Strahd slowly let go of Ruki, his voice low, "That was a warning."

Linda was aghast, "Shit, if that was the warning, what the hell is lethal?!"

Strahd closed his eyes, and furrowed his brow, trying to pull information from the recesses of his memory, “A blue... Something about a blue... Creature? Nine hells, I can’t remember...”

Aric groaned as he stood, "Linda must have chosen the wrong path. I guess we need to start from the left."

"Alright, left it is," Linda braced herself, performing the dance...

The sigil rotated, the door slid back, and lifted from the floor. Ruki peered into the room. Four clay golems stood still. Crates were strewn about...

Ruki felt something pull at her... Was it the missing Vistana? She moved in, stating, “We might need to be even more cautious moving forward.”

Linda affirmed and put her hand on her gun before walking in. Aric and Jeeves decided to sneak in, clinging to the shadows...

Strahd waited a moment for his natural regeneration to heal his wounds, putting a hand on his sword before entering the tower.

Rictavio stumbled in, still shaken from being struck. Strahd held out his hand to catch him. It would do no good for his clumsiness to set off any traps-

No sooner than Rictavio was fully in the tower, the door slammed shut behind him, cutting off the light from outside.

“Great, now I can’t see shit...“ Linda grumbled.

“I don’t like this...“ Strahd growled. Something gnawed at him... He felt closed off... drained...

Magic...

The small shwithp! of a blade being unsheathed drew everyone to attention, looking for the source of the threat in a dark room. A woman’s voice hissed in the darkness. Ruki recognized the accent of her people in her voice... this was the missing Vistana.

“Why have you come here? Delivering the Devil on our doorsteps!”

A torch lit, revealing the woman speaking. She was tall and tawny skinned, with thick black locks falling out from a red headscarf. She stood tall, sword in one hand, and a torch in the other. She looked to Strahd, “You have Richard... have you taken him hostage? Answer me, before I douse this room in a holy fire, Vampire!"

#story update #curse of strahd #writing #linda tacklemeyer #aric rein #ruki von holtz #D&D

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