#so sorry for anyone who tries to read this goliath of a post

[santaresistencia]

I'm so confused. I'm not sure what is true anymore!

When I tried talking to a close relative of mine about Palestine, they started going on a huge spiel. They insisted it wasn't genocide, that they voted for Hamas and that Isr*el warned them and gave them time to go south before the bombings happened, that Palestine struck first, and that Isr*el had given them their land.

When I asked them for proof, they dodged the question, claimed they've been in the loop for a very long time (they're nearing their sixties), and said something about the quran.

I don't know what to do and I'm so torn!

warning: this post has a plethora of links (everything underlined) i encourage you and anyone reading to click through them and learn more.

hi lovely sorry it took me so long to respond. i understand why you're confused right now - there's currently a huge, censorship, disinformation campaign being waged by isr*el (and backed and supported by the united states) to keep people confused about what's going on right now. and sadly if you (like me) grew up in the united states/the west very little is taught about palestine and we are steeped in propaganda from the very moment we can talk. it is a failure of the system, and ourselves, and done purposefully to keep us ignorant about an evil from which we directly contribute and benefit.

and if you simply went by what western leaders and cable news are reporting right now you would be vastly misinformed about the true horror being waged and why it is being waged. social media is a powerful tool and is being weaponized by isr*el to fight a proxy war. (a war which they are losing with certain demographics, if the sheer number of us awakening right now and by your very question is evident).

many people are trying to push a narrative of this being a very complicated issue so they can remain "neutral" and i'm here to tell you it isn't - what it comes down to is that isr*el is illegally occupying palestine (which they've been doing for almost 75 years) and are currently waging a genocide against the palestinian people, who throughout the last decades have been forced to live under an apartheid state in both gaza and the west bank - areas which are really just ghettos controlled by their colonizer - isr*el.

i will note here - this is a very basic fact that many are unaware of, to our shame, but gaza is not a country, it is a strip of land under the occupation and total control of isr*el. (to even justify calling this a "war" is unfair in the extreme - wars are fought by more or less equal powers with a standing army of their own - gaza does not have it's own army. the current aggression taking place is david and goliath-levels unequal). more basic facts/questions that we are too afraid to ask covered here and here.

gaza especially is recognized (the united nations included) as the world's "largest open-air prison." palestinians cannot freely travel without the permission of isr*el (on their own land!), and everything - food, electricity, water, incoming supplies, everything - is controlled by isr*el and subject to their whims. they are under constant surveillance and overly policed, killed daily by both the state and isr*eli settlers stealing palestinian land, and thousands of them are held illegally without trial indefinitely by isr*el. (does this sound familiar to you? it should because most of america's police force is trained by the IDF).

and while hamas did attack isr*eli civilians, the attack did not occur in a vacuum and the response to that attack has been very, very, very, very, disproportionate - it is collective punishment against a civilian population and a war crime.

the oct 7th attacks are being used as an excuse to carry out isr*el's dream/ultimate goal of cleansing palestinians off their own land so they can claim it as their own.

but to address the specific claims made by your relative - yes the ongoing isr*eli occupation's aggression is genocide (and has been acknowledged as such by experts in holocaust history, human rights groups, and quite openly by isr*el itself). while hamas did "strike first" they did so in response to the many human rights abuses, systematic oppression, and colonial violence that the palestinian people have been undergoing for close to a century. an oppressed people pushed to the edge of survival and left with no other choice will be forced to use any means necessary to resist their oppressors.

the demonization and dehumanization of hamas is used to paint palestinian resistance as "terrorism" in order to justify wiping a whole group of people (2.3 million) off the face of the earth. civilians - men, woman, and children are not "terrorists" and their slaughter is not and will never be justified.

the claim that isr*el is giving them "warning" and "time" to evacuate before bombing is laughable - where are they supposed to go? they've closed down the borders - no one can get in or out of gaza. they have specifically targeted civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, churches, and residential homes which have been serving as shelter to civilians. they told them to evacuate the north of gaza and into the south (which is impossible when you think of over a million people being given 24 hours to evacuate their homes), and then continue to bomb the south and north anyway. they are also carrying out violence and aggression in the west bank which is not controlled by hamas and so their excuses are simply that, excuses.

no their goal is not to get rid of hamas, their goal is the complete and utter annihilation of gaza and the palestinian people. (which they will not succeed in doing, palestine will be free, whether in this life or the next).

and the idea that isr*el gave palestinians their land? it's their land! isr*el stole their land, violently displaced (such a soft word for such a violent act) over 750,000 people (which has created a diaspora of six million palestinian refugees), forced the remaining into gaza and the west bank, has been subjecting them to a slow suffocating death for decades, and now openly slaughters them by the thousands.

the mention of the Quran specifically by your relative is thinly veiled islamophobia (which is rampant in the west and in the united states in particular). this is not a religious war. and the fact that a majority of palestinians are muslims (though christian palestinians do exist) is being used to paint a whole people as "terrorists" and encourages the dehumanization of palestinian people.

this is why the many many videos and images of dead palestinian babies, men, and woman mean nothing to certain people - palestinians (and frankly brown/black ppl) are not seen as fully human and equally worthy of life. their lives and their deaths weigh less in certain ppl's minds (just compare the global support ukraine received when it was invaded by russia to the indifference that palestine is currently receiving).

to some and (your relative) the horrific slaughter by the literal thousands is justifiable - an "unhappy but inevitable consequence of war." this is not war, this is genocide. these are not battles being fought, these are blatant war crimes being carried out by isr*el who have been given carte blanche by the united states and other western powers to do as they wish.

tbh there are many others on here that can explain better and their masterposts and blogs are valuable resources available here, here, and here. and i recommend these tiktok users here, here, and here. i also recommend the decolonizepalestine.com website as it is highly informative.

and for keeping up with current news in gaza that is not blatant propaganda i recommend al jazeera - which has been doing some of the most comprehensive and amazing journalism i've ever seen. (seriously they are putting their very lives on the line, as several of their reporters have been assassinated by isr*el).

it is a tragedy that we have been kept largely ignorant of a struggle that has been happening right under our noses for years, supported by our own money and aid, and which we directly benefit from. but now that we know the extent of the horror it is our duty to educate ourselves, to reach out and educate others, to uplift palestinian voices, and to do everything we possibly can to help. to do otherwise is a failure of our very own humanity.

[phoenixmosheh]

Do you want to play a game?

If you are at least 18 years or older...you have the option of switching on your "mature" tumblr settings. If you do not turn on these settings you may miss some of the exposures of people who are praying you don't turn on your mature settings.

How do I know?

This blogs been reported several times prompting them to flag some blog post as mature. Which is why this blog post exist. Oh and I have no followers ...use your brain.

RULES: No cheating & No copying. OK? We care about your safety until you give us a reason not to.

(This is a slap in the face screenshot for the people who are being led astray by a bitter pastor and his cult leaders masquerading themselves as ushers who will try to send their congregation to this blog and point out little bits and pieces from this blog in order to convince them how I am a hypocrite and man user like his niece who is a witch, who I'd also the reason I have to be shackled and chained to these narcisstic men I stay with and don't have sex with. Its not my fault these men have this biblical desire to provide for me with no strings attached

I put in my two week notice Pastor. Did you?

Researching the whole story on your own is imperative to not being misled by Satan people. Stop being lazy. God Bless.

King Elias finds his real wife playing Homemaker to a random guy due to his ex-wifes black magic

The Talk - OHhhhh... now that you find out your ex-wifes a witch doing spells so you have no free will and her private parts are totaled like my car which she also tried to copy you want to talk?

https://youtu.be/My2FRPA3Gf8 - Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

God trying to explain to Elias' real wife through a movie what heavy spellwork over someone's mind can do to a person (and to forgive him)

https://youtu.be/hJGnpjPfUUI - It's Payback Time - Tarot (aka Spiritual CIA/FBI Readings)

God watching Elias' wife take out her laptop halfway through this movie as she starts researching something on the internet

God: What are you doing?

Elias' Wife: I'm going to order a hazmat suit so I can safely K.O his ex-wife, so that I won't need a tetanus shot after.

https://youtu.be/cJc7xWJbwJw - Press - Cardi B (a song for you polygamous, blabber mouth, uneducated, fake mask wearing, money hungry, dont know who the daddy is, side chicks)

True Story:

While I was on tour in these homeless women shelters (prison). I kept asking God "why do these women keep thinking they can bully and jump me?" Is it my size? Do I look like a child? Am I being too nice? Many delusional Goliath's found out real quick, I don't care if they tower over me or under me...they better pick and choose how they want me to treat them. Make sure you pass that on to your sister (Stephania). The last person that told me they were going to knock me out flat on the floor, ended up flat outside a homeless shelter. Pull up if you want to...I can be classy or hood you pick? (and I don't need anyone to hold me back, come find out if you want to, those veneers in your mouth will be smiling at you on concrete, if they havent already started falling out). So if you are coming, you better hurry up and catch me while I'm pregnant and throwing up... otherwise (sips tea).

Moving on:

Sorry about that...How unprofessional of me! Are you familiar with The Matrix Movies? (if not, fortunately for you, Google knows everything, look it up and study its main characters)...

Neos name means "New". His wife is Trinity (God in three persons) When you put both names together it is code for "The New Trinity. God in three persons. Gods spirit (One Spirit) is made up of masculine and feminine counterparts which house this one spirit (Gods spirit). The two (1 masculine counterpart and 1 feminine counterpart) will be made one (married/joined together.) In a human body, these counterparts are called Melchizedek. What God has put together, let no man seperate not even a bitter stalker std carrying ex-wife. Sorry Stephania.

Sparknotes gets it

"Even Neo's Matrix name, Thomas Anderson, suggests a parallel with Christ. “Anderson” literally means “son of man,” a phrase used to describe Christ in the Gospels. “Thomas” suggests the New Testament figure of the disciple Thomas who won't believe in Christ's resurrection until he sees proof with his own eyes"

God hid The story of the Melchizedek in your human psyche (mind) so that you would retell their stories (prophecy) in your entertainment i.e books, movies, music...etc. Too many people have had their hands on your bibles to keep all hidden knowledge in these books..but "they" still have not figured out how to fully control, touch, transfer and change your minds. So God hid fragments of the truth (story) in the minds of believers and non-believers.

(So yes, a lot of the music and movies we chose to use are old school, because lets just be real, very few of you are authentic due to trend following and slave curriculums, they even make you draw the same in art class.

But thank you for your cooperation, we needed someone to tell The True Story of Our Bible over and over again..so that we could put your fragmented bits and pieces in order for the blind and hard of hearing upon our (The Melchizedek) awakening 😇 ...now thats team work! (Whats that dear ? You like stories about us but not who the stories are actually about... nobody cares sore loser). The Bible did say we would be hated amongst men...hmmm I wonder why? Thanks God.

Disclaimer:

Please do not go around attacking religious people, churchgoers or people that believe in something different than you. Allow them to have the free will to study and come to the same conclusion as you. If they never come to that conclusion, it really isn't any of your business and you should just continue to live your life. However ... if someone attacks you, you have every right to defend yourself.

Warning:

Do not copy our work, you can share it, you can ignore it. BUT do not pretend you came up with these theories or our ideas. Everyone has a brain, if you know your brain did not come up with these ideas and you think because you have a big following or congregation that you can masquerade as the creator of said idea. We will watch you like a sad reality TV show, just like we watched Elias' ex-wife , her family of masonics disguised as pastorial humanitarians and his greedy ungrateful family lose everything, after 3 years of thinking they were getting away with it. All while watching you look like complete fools as you lose your little following and misguided congregation because they find out you are a liar. We don't care if you support, follow, sneeze, wheeze, unfollow, pinch your nose when we walk past, racial slurs blah blah blah...just don't copy and share without giving us credit. Great talk.

You're Welcome

Timestamp 7/27/23 ( omg..I think I'm finally done...that took like what 4 months to shut down?) Rusty. 🌬)

https://youtu.be/lsDMWvDDGpY - Backin it up 👆

Elias' Wife: Pssst Elias (slips Elias a note) ♥

https://youtu.be/dlEdFJpQ8-c

God: whoa hey, hey whoa whoa you freaky amateurs

https://youtu.be/hMs8RKGZ7kM

Elias & His Wife: Yes, but but but but then... you promised 😢 😭

https://youtu.be/DIpQ4AZSAf8

God: Yeah. Yeah.

https://youtu.be/Go8nTmfrQd8

[skybristle]

GOING INSANE AGAIN. this time about STRAWBERRY CREPE COOKIE. copy/pasted this from my dms but this is MY fanon and I make the rules. some oc stuff in here but honestly i don't care god is dead and i can do whatever i want. putting it under the cut because it's long and ALSO tw for manipulation/abandonment of children

okay so for context white lily in my fanon was always kinda,,, Off??? like i def see her as a brilliant mind with good intentions and misguided ways but shes very distant and gets kinda obsessed with her ideas of creating the 'perfect' cookie, even after the massive failure at the acadamy resulting in what happened happening pv gets kinda dragged into it because,,, she's his sorta lover sorta friend sorta ????? [idk i headcanon them as qpr with a really complicated relationship] and he has the healing magic in case anything goes awry, not to mention the kingdom and revolutionary technology so she can work. he kinda turns a blind eye to it because,,, it's his beloved lily,,, she wouldn't do anything like that,,, again. she was extremely remorseful over what happened at the acadamy [we see it in the flashback chapter 10 cutscenes] then she drags him in the lab one day, finally executing one of her biggest experiments. strawberry crepe. he's there for their creation and,,, crepe comes out faulty. they're crumbling, very easily [they lose their arms first but could have easily died right there], are mostly deaf, and while they can process what's happening its obviously,,, Very hard to grasp considering they can't hear anything + dude they were created 5 seconds ago. white lily immediately dismisses them as a failure [she's in deep at this point, it's only a couple months before the night of the witches] and pv is like HELLO???? THAT'S A CHILD??? but he doesn't know What to do with crepe at all [healing magic is just as much about a plan of action as the power behind the magic] so freezes them in stasis and tries to figure it out,,,, but dark flour war happens, he loses time for it inbetween everything, running off to other kingdoms to heal wounded soldiers,,, and by the time the war's over, he's gone. having rejected the light of truth feeling he failed and is no longer worthy of it, and healer doesn't remember anything, let alone crepe of course, dark enchantress knows what happened to them, and when she takes over the castle in the sky as her base of operations she takes a look around,,, and is surprised to find them intact [or, as intact as they were when pv froze them]. she wakes them up, slaps some cake arms on that fucker [PV did some more general long-term spells to keep them intact], and basically starts the manipulation from day one. she realizes quickly crepe is far smarter than a failed experiment would let on so,,, indulges them. plays with them, and introduces them to the wafflebots. crepe is immediately fascinated with them and is practically clambering at the chance to get into engineering. perfect. she claims they must be a prodigy and sets them off to mess around. one of the first things crepe makes is their headset [which are also hearing aids! tons of anatomy texts lying around for em to reference] and later their paw prosthetics [cake limbs tend to kinda mess with your head and crepe absolutely Hates it. they gotta stay in their own mind!!! de praises them all the time for their intellect,, they can't lose that, can they?]. their prosthetics r modeled after cat paws. they wear gloves over them most of the time but u can see it a bit in one of my drawings de basically immediately puts lies into their head, blaming PV for their failed creation, blaming PV for them being frozen for decades, blames PV for everything [which, admittedly, some of it is kinda PV's fault but like he only did that because of what SHE did and his denial over it], and grows distant with time. isolation is one of the best weapons of a manipulator, and as crepe desprately chases that shred of attention from the only cookie they know [DE even keeps the other cookies of darkness away from them], they'll do practically anything for her. they're so alone,,,, they fill the void with building shit like the waffle goliath and setting them all off on the surrounding wasteland to break shit,,, not thinking that there are cookies down there. there can't be, everything is dead down there. right? tldr chapter 9 is a. Shitshow. they

spend

most of the time messing with the starter squad because. hey!!! cookies!!! :]]]] they haven't seen any besides the rare glimpse at the cookies of darkness and DE herself. but,,, towards the end,,, it kinda,,,,, Hits them??? when black raisin freaks out and says "YOU'RE the one who's been attacking our village?" not to mention they get the shit beat out of them,,,, they're destroyed with guilt + DE told them that nobody was down there [distracting the village with wafflebot attacks was good to keep them off her back up in the castle in the sky, especially because there's no way she doesnt catch on to healer being pv] and crepe starts to unveil the lies, especially afterwards when PV is back and goes back,,, guilty as hell it took him so long to help them and let DE play her twisted games with them. they heal crepe up and try to start them on reversing the damage done but,,, crepe at this point has a deeply instilled hatred of pv. they almost try to kill him and spend the rest of their time avoided them and smashing shit in the workshop. they're entire reality crumbled apart in front of them and they are NOT ready to let someone else worm into their head claiming that they're 'the right one'. never again. actually funnily enough the way that crepe gets out of their 'i can't trust everyone everyone wants to hurt me everyone is lying!!!" deal is a. road trip. when messenger returns to their kingdom,,, they see pv's attempts with crepe aren't working [they know about everything white lily did, including the creation of a failed cookie who they quickly figure out is crepe], they're incredibly blunt with crepe [good for someone who thinks everyone is trying to worm into their head] and basically says "hey, i know what happened, i'm not going to tell you because you'll think i'm lying, i would too, but i can show you the direct evidence and letters" and they take crepe to the grove,,,, being really silly and fucking around and taking them to all sorts of spots to pad out the journey and help the poor kid open up and eventually letting crepe read the letters and diary entries and diagrams,,,, comforting them through the ensuing breakdown. it's what crepe needs,,, but it's definately hard on them, especially reading it point blank that their creator simply saw them as a failure and truely abandoned them, only coming back when they could be 'useful' to her schemes. messenger is no therapist, but they can play the cool older brother motif and open them up so PV can get in and help them properly i dont think crepe will ever be Not a bit of a little shit and kinda a chaotic asshole but. they have tons of trauma to work through and it would be good for them if they understood cookies and cared for them a bit more

[enkelimagnus]

A Castle in the Forest

Percy x Vex’ahlia, Chapter 6, 3943 words,

A Modern AU, in which Vex is a park ranger taking over the Alabaster Sierras post, and finds much more than she bargained for

Read on AO3

Back to Vex, on her path to hunt a fiend...

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

“It’s fine, thank you anyway.”

Vex slams the red button on her phone, as if clicking on it harder will make her frustration known to the world. She wishes she had an older phone so she could slam down the handset onto the base. It would be like slamming a door at the end of an argument; a physical show of her feelings.

She’s been on the phone all morning, trying desperately to get some answers on what she’s supposed to do with the fiend now that it has killed at least one person. Not anyone, at that, someone trained to take things down and keep parks protected. If Regae was anything like her, he had put up a fight before dying. But the creature had prevailed.

The one thing she was told about was the Grey Hunt. Not only did the Pale Guard officer tell her about it on the crime scene, but pretty much everyone she’s tried calling told her to ask them. Except they don’t exist anymore. They haven’t in years.

There are no records of previous members either. Vex wants to scream in frustration. For the first time since she’s arrived, she realizes how alone she is. She wasn’t so alone before. In Shademurk, she could ask Saundor and if he was in a good mood and if she played her cards right, he would use his amazing influence to help her. Here she has no one. She almost misses him.

What? No. She doesn’t miss him. She can’t miss him, she won’t. The fact that he was supposed to love her and that she had to bargain with him, the very sovereign of Shademurk Bog, to get him to do anything for her, from dishes to actually working with her to make Shademurk better.

She doesn’t miss him. At all. Her new home is completely clear of him, empty of memories of him. She’s not going to choke on his presence every time she looks somewhere. It’s better here. She’s better now than she ever was before.

If Saundor was here, he would take credit for her strength, for her work. He would say he made her, shaped her into the ranger he is today. He always used to say that. She used to believe him.

Vex stands from her chair and paces a little into the cabin. No Grey Hunt. No Pale Guard. As far as she knows, Pike Trickfoot and Grog Strongjaw are still willing to go hunt a fiend with her. That’s all she has. Her own limited abilities, a cleric and a goliath. And no Vax.

She told him to stay in Westrunn a little. She was hoping to have the fiend problem sorted before he arrived, to be honest, so she wouldn’t have to ask for his help. He’s helped her way too much already.

Besides, she’d rather know he’s with Gilmore, enjoying himself and his boyfriend. They don’t see each other enough. She can manage without him. She should be able to. She’s a strong, capable person.

In the bathroom, she splashes cold water onto her face, forcefully clearing her thoughts. When she looks up from the sink to look into the mirror, she swallows, hard. She looks tired. There are dark circles in the brown skin below her eyes. Her lips are cracked, from the cold. She’s forgotten to put on lip balm. Her hair is dirty, greasy.

It’s been three days. Three days since she’s received that call on the forgotten radio. Three days and she’s already forgotten to take care of herself. She’s really holding on by a thread, isn’t she?

Her nails dig painfully into her palm and only then does she stop staring at her own tired face.

She walks away and slams the door behind herself. The force makes the wall shudder and it feels right. Vex smiles a little. That was the first hint of satisfaction she’s felt since her arrow shot through Donovan Clarence’s hand.

The cub at her feet whines a little, turning over from where he’d been napping.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly and crouches to pet the dark brown fur. “Slamming the door woke you up, huh?” She asks softly.

The cub leans into her hand like he’s starving for touch. He’s always going to forgive her for these things, isn’t he? Her smile widens slightly, growing more relaxed and genuine.

Her phone buzzes and she reaches for it, before sitting on the floor next to the cub. It’s a text from Vax, with an image attached. She opens the image first.

It’s a photo of the inside of a shop, large and filled with glass-covered shelves. She can see the shine of gold and silver and precious gems behind the glass. Her eyebrow raises. The fact they’re still behind glass and not in Vax’s sneaky hand is surprising. She looks over at the caption of the image.

Exercise in restraint: Gilmore’s shop. Many trinkets, none for me.

About five different dirty remarks come to Vex’s mind but she pushes them back. Vax is a bit uncomfortable with discussions of his sex life, joking unfactual remarks or not. She’s not going to make him uncomfortable now.

She takes a picture of the cub snuggled in the space between her crossed legs.

I saw this one and couldn’t help myself… Trinket addiction running in the family?

She sends the picture but looks down at the cub with a thought. Trinket is a good name. She likes it. Loves it, actually.

“May I call you Trinket, darling?” She asks. Giving him a name means keeping him, but she’s far past that point now. She’s known it, deep down for a while.

The cub doesn’t seem to mind it. Vex presses a kiss to the furry head with a smile, the biggest in a long time.

They say rangers often find companions. Vex has just found hers.

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

They meet at the mouth of the trail, the way they’d originally planned. It’s a few days later than expected, yes, but Vex has been busy desperately trying to get some sort of official help. She was hoping not to have to ask Pike and Grog.

She sees the goliath before the gnome, the giant axe hanging heavy over the man’s shoulder. By his side, the cleric looks way less aggressive. Vex doesn’t know which one will be more useful. Divine healing or brute force. Either way, she’s incredibly glad to have someone by her side right now.

“So,” she smiles nervously. “Thank you for coming. I apologize for pushing back the date of meeting. I was hoping to get some sort of professional help, but it seems like Whitestone doesn’t have the infrastructure.”

The cleric, Pike, nods. “The city has seen a lot of things.”

Vex doesn’t know what that means, really. She doesn’t ask. Not right now. She’ll ask later, once they have a dead fiend and a victory under their belt. People were much more likely to spill secrets if adrenaline and serotonin were flowing through their veins.

Sometimes, she’s almost ashamed of the many tricks she’s learned throughout the years. And then she remembers it was people like the Syngornian Elves and Saundor who made her learn these things,and she stops feeling like she should have somehow stayed innocent through all the shit they put her through.

They start on their way, not to where she initially sensed the fiend, but to where the body was found. It’s more likely that they’ll find usable traces there.

The winter cold bites at her cheeks, but the goliath is shirtless. She raises an eyebrow, both respectful and thinking him mad to be out there like this. They start climbing up the trail in relative silence, with the crunching of their boots and the jingling of the cleric’s chainmail.

Vex doesn’t know what kind of small talk to do now. This is not a light-hearted situation, and she just wants the creature out of her woods.

“Have you killed fiends before?” The goliath asks after a moment.

Vex looks over at him over her shoulder. “Not a fiend, no. I’ve killed other things. Fey, mostly.”

Pike raises an eyebrow. “Fey? Were you around the doors to the Feywild before you came to the Alabaster Sierras?”

Vex hesitates for a moment. It’s a lot of information to give to complete strangers. She shrugged the paranoia off however. “I was. I was tasked with keeping an eye on a part of the Verdant Expanse, that, just like Syngorn, can switch between the Feywild and our plane. I lived in the Feywild for a part of my time there.”

“That’s so cool!” Pike grins and Vex can’t help the smile that tugs at the corner of her lips.

It is pretty cool.

The Feywild is somewhere most people have barely heard of, let alone visited. And Vex, though in pretty horrible circumstances, has been able to call it home for a moment of her life. On the way up the trail, her two companions manage to coax her into recounting the Feywild.

She tells them of the permanent dusk, of the sun that’s always at its most beautiful, its most reddening and purpling state duskward of Shademurk. She tells them of the dark of the night on the other side, of looking at the sky and never knowing exactly the time. She tells them of age-old trees that hold secrets they only tell the worthy.

She tells them of dryads and naiads and the howling of lycans. She doesn’t tell them of Saundor but she tells them of Fenthras.

One day, she’ll reach under her bed, take it out and shoot. It’s still the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen, the wood alive and the power tangible. She still dreams of wielding it, as she runs free through ever shifting woods, laughter on her lips.

When they make it to the campsite where the body was found, she feels lighter than she has in a long time. Both the cleric and the goliath are smiling lightly. They exchange a look, and then get to work.

Vex sits on a stone and starts expanding her consciousness as Pike runs identifying and tracking spells on whatever magic trace they can find. It’s hard to tune out her kind babbling or Grog’s regular deep-toned comments, but Vex finally manages and exhales.

With her breath goes her mind and soon she finds herself floating, drifting, one with the wind and with nature. She barely has to wait to find the fiendish presence. It pings on her mental radar loud and clear and close.

Way too close. They’re close to its lair.

Vex’s eyes open wide and she comes back crashing into herself. She barely gives herself time to come back into her body before she shoots to her feet and shares her findings. Grog takes his giant axe out. Pike unclasps a mace the size of her body from Grog’s back.

Vex takes her bow in hand and notches an arrow, ready to draw and shoot. They start walking in the direction where she can still feel the echoing presence of the creature. It rests heavy on her back of her neck, a pressure she can’t shake.

They walk into higher grass off of beaten paths. Vex slips into the underbrush with ease, but it’s far from the case for the two accompanying her. Pike in particular makes great noise and gets caught in almost every weed she can possibly get caught on. Vex huffs. Here goes the effect of surprise.

They find the lair empty, and her heart tightens in her chest. Fuck. It knows they are there.

A shape moves from the shadows overhead and Vex immediately reacts. Her body moves without her thinking anything through. Her arrow shoots through the air and hits right in the middle of the creature’s chest. It screams in pain. Vex smirks. She’s good at this.

The creature has stopped long enough for all of them to see what it is. It’s tall, Vex’s size. Its skin is spiky, barbed, horns sprouting from its skull. Its scream makes the air around it shiver with heat.

The scream is immediately answered by one from Grog. The goliath steps forward with bloodshot eyes and angry determination. He swings his axe forward and pounces on the creature. Maybe his rage has distracted him, because his axe swings wide, the creature too fast to be hit by the massive weapon.

The cleric immediately jumps into action, hands shining with divine light as she reaches up with her holy symbol. Vex can see the wings of Sarenrae carved onto the metal before they disappear behind the burning white light. It shoots out of the symbol and hits the creature.

It screams again as the radiant light engulfs it, lighting it up and burning it with divine power. If they were in darkness, it would be obvious to all of them now. There’s no way any of them are going to miss their next hit against it.

Grog has gotten too close to the creature however, and though it’s still burning with light, it takes no time to attack the giant target the goliath makes. It swipes at the grey-skinned man, one hand missing before the second catches the goliath in the chest, dragging into the skin. Vex winces, but the goliath seems more okay than expected.

The creature tries to hit him with his tail but Grog dodges it with a shiver-inducing grin. “Come on, devil devil!” He taunts. “Is that all you can do?”

Vex’s eyes cross with the creature’s and she takes the opportunity to Hunter’s Mark it. She reaches for another arrow, but her fingers rip against her quiver, shaking lightly now that she’s realized what they were facing. She curses. Pike sends her a slightly worried look.

Grog retaliates against the clawing he’s just received. The axe cleaves a giant gash into the shoulder of the fiend. The goliath immediately reiterates, hacking at the shoulder. The arm of the fiend is now hanging by tendons. It seems to be in incredible pain.

Reaching up with its good arm, the creature screams, warmth radiating from it. Flames erupt from the hand of the creature. Both tries miss the massive target of Grog. The creature seems confused. That’s what pain like the one being inflicted to it does.

Vex notches in another arrow. It grazes the creature but is deflected by its spikes. She groans in annoyance. None of this is working. Why is she so useless right now?

Grog’s axe finally cuts off the creature’s arm, but it doesn’t seem to slow it down that much. Another ray of blinding light hits the devil, however. Pike is breathing hard, but her spells are finding purchase and Vex is incredibly thankful for that, even if they do not do a lot of damage.

The goliath keeps taking a great amount of injury from the furious and in pain devil. Fire burns onto the grey skin, scorching it and a sickening smell permeates the air around them. Vex wants this to end, but she knows it won’t be that easy.

Vex’s next arrow finds purchase right as the great axe slashes through the devil’s chest. A handaxe flies by Vex and hits it square in the thigh. The wounded creature turns around, tail whipping at Grog, before pouncing in with one undamaged arm, missing the goliath entirely with the last two.

They keep hammering at the creature, arrows and great axe wounds and additional mace wounds from a determined Pike hacking at its defenses and crushing its bones. Vex is sweating, she’s a little unfocused, and the screams of the goliath’s rage resounds in her head.

When it finally falls down, it’s one of Vex’s arrows that lodges itself in its eyeball, deeply. It gurgles as it falls, twitching for a few seconds until it stops moving entirely. Vex exhales. She feels like the combat has lasted hours when it’s probably only been minutes.

Pike rushes to her friend and heals him immediately, the burn and other wounds healing and disappearing from the grey flesh as Vex watches. A little unsteady, she finds somewhere to sit and to search.

She waits for a while, searches for something she could have missed, but all fiendish presence is gone from the perimeter of her searching abilities. Relief floods through her system and she finally smiles. It was hard, but they did it. They killed the fiend. The Alabaster Sierras are safer now than they were before.

Vex’s entire body unravels suddenly, her shoulder slumping. They’re fine. She’s fine. They’re all alive and safe and the fiend is gone and she didn’t die killing it. She looks at Pike and Grog. They both look messy and fight-tousled. Vex imagines she looks like that too.

“Thank you,” she says. She means it.

Grog smiles at her, a warm smile. He’s nice. Big and scary, but nice. “It was really fun.” He probably means it too.

Pike nods. “It was!”

Vex is a little more surprised at that, but she can’t help the grin that stretches over her mouth. They start walking again. Vex invites them for tea or coffee. They both ask for alcohol and she chuckles.

They settle around Vex’s table. The cabin feels a little cramped with the two of them. Vex manages to find three containers for the strong old whiskey that Regae left behind. They cheer and drink.

“I’m from Westrunn. The Everlight brought me here,” Pike says when Vex asks if she’s from Whitestone.

“I’m from Westrunn too,” Grog smiles. “And I follow her.” There is unbridled affection in the way he looks over at Pike.

“My brother’s currently in Westrunn,” she points out. “Spending some time with his boyfriend.”

Pike nods. “That’s sweet! I hope he enjoys the city. It’s a little quiet, but it’s a nice place.”

Vex doesn’t say that she doesn’t expect Vax to do a lot of sight-seeing while with Gilmore. The three of them share some food, the rations they’d taken for a possible camping in the mountains, had the fiend evaded them for much longer.

The camaraderie wraps around her like a warm blanket and she finds herself laughing more than she has in years. When she herself starts to feel a light buzz from the alcohol she’s been very careful not to drink too much of, she shifts and prepares herself to start asking questions.

“Have you spent a lot of time here in Whitestone?” She asks after a moment.

“It’s our first time here, actually,” Pike smiles. “We usually stay in Westrunn, or travel south, not north. There is not much for us here.”

Vex raises an eyebrow. “What changed?”

Pike shrugs. “As I said, the Everlight. I’m a cleric, and when my deity calls, I always answer.”

Vex tries to figure out if that’s true, if Pike always answers to Sarenrae but the gnome is hard to read, her blue eyes staring right back into Vex’s as she speaks. There is a steadiness about her though. Something Vex usually senses in the druids and clerics and acolytes of this world, and also in some arcanists, who have faith in their studies the way others have faith in their gods.

Vex wonders how she feels to people. Is she steady with faith? Or is she chaotic and unstable? She wishes, in this moment, that she could see herself through someone else’s eyes. She wants to know what she is to others, so badly.

“What did the Everlight tell you to do here?” She continues.

Pike’s eyes grow a little sharper for a moment, before she smiles again. “There is something for me to heal here. A soul yearning desperately for redemption. My goddess is the patron of healing and redemption, of second chances. This is what I am here for.”

Vex swallows. “Would that be related to the De Rolo Massacre?”

“Maybe,” the gnome shrugs. “Or maybe not. If we had all the details of what exactly our deities want us to do, all these divine quests wouldn’t be quite the challenges they are supposed to be.”

That’s true, she guesses. Vex is definitely not faithful enough for this. She smiles anyway, leaning back against her chair.

The gnome keeps talking. “Maybe the fiend we killed was that soul. Maybe someone we’ve crossed paths with in the street. Maybe it’s you.”

Vex freezes.

“Many people would ask questions about someone like you deciding to live alone this way, in a cabin in the forest,” Pike shrugs. “It’s none of my business, of course. And I will never fault anyone for unconventional life choices.” She hums. “But you ask many questions.”

Kind, warm, but very perceptive. Vex holds up her hands. “You got me,” she huffs. “Just trying to get answers about what’s going on in this city. No one will answer my questions.” She’s tired of it now. So fucking tired. “It was incredibly difficult to find people to help me with this fiend business because no one will talk to me about anything.”

Pike reaches for her hand. “You are a stranger to these people, Vex’ahlia. Give them time to get to know you. For all they know, you have bad intentions. I come with the symbol of my goddess, and that opens some doors to me, and to Grog.” The goliath nods at the mention of his name. “You don’t have that. Unless you’re some deity’s chosen or champion… But you don’t seem like it.”

Vex almost gets offended by that. But the gnome is right. Vex came into town with suspicious eyes. That’s not something people can trust.

“I’m sorry,” Vex sighs. “For the questions I’ve asked. You didn’t have to answer them.”

Pike shrugs. “I didn’t really mind. I’m here because I need to be. And Grog’s with me because he always is, and always will be.” She smiles at that. “You’re here for a reason too.”

Vex huffs. “Right,” she shakes her head. “Did Sarenrae tell you that?” She asks sarcastically.

“You’re not a believer,” Pike chuckles. “It kinda comes off of you like waves. That you don’t believe in anything.”

Vex lost her reason to believe when a dragon burnt her home village to the ground, taking her mother with it. Every snide remark from Syngornian elves, every time she had to fight for Saundor to do anything for her, those were all nails in the coffin of her faith, in gods or in people.

“I think… I think you should start the way back to Whitestone. The road is long, and I don’t want you to get caught by the night. There are creatures.”

Grog huffs. “We can take them on. You fought by our side, you have seen our power.”

Vex doesn’t reply. Pike gets the memo. She gently pushes Grog into getting up. Vex walks them to the door and to the trail and bids them goodbye.

She sits back down at the table. The cabin is small but it feels huge now that she’s alone. Sounds seem to reverberate now that it’s only her breathing, only her body. She wants to run off and tells those two kind people to come back, to stay, to not leave her alone like this. She doesn’t though. She exhales and she starts preparing for more work, and for a good night of sleep.

Did she get any answer? No she didn’t. But at least she’s killed a fiend. The Alabaster Sierras are a bit safer than they were when she arrived.

[caitofcaithall]

The Historian’s Dilemma

or, A Problem with Susan

So, I’ve been on a Neil Gaiman kick lately, and I’ve got my hands on a copy of Fragile Things (it’s one of his short story collections).  I’ve had to pull myself aside after The Problem of Susan. The story is, of course, about the Narnia books - I’m deeply distressed by it. But I like it. There’s this shocking duality of sex and death and male and female god energies, and you also get this juxtaposition of youth and age. I felt like I had something to say about it, but I wasn’t quite sure what that was, so I wrote a bit of a story to explore that. I’ll probably clean it up and cross post with my ‘real author’ website later on but I wanted to post something now.   The historian lived in a small cottage down Abernathy Lane. Indeed, it was the last house to be found on the street, and where the original paved road had ended, a tidy strip of asphalt continued on, past the copse of elderberry trees that littered either side of the lane, until at last it dead-ended in a dirt-and-gravel driveway.  The house itself was tidily kept; the woman it belonged to had eschewed the practice of scattering her things around nearly ten years ago after a sunny September day had gone awry. Control was something she practiced with regularity. She’d had so little control that September, over anything at all, and had spent all the time since making up for it.

That’s why it was so vexing that she could not find the manuscript she had been reading the night before. It had been sent to her through a colleague, a tiny, jocular man who’d been named Goliath by his father when his mother was dazed and distracted from the pain of his delivery. 

Goliath had enclosed a note: Not so far outside of your field of study. Perhaps the missing piece you’ve been looking for? I’ll be meeting with Land this coming Tuesday; if you’d like, I could make an introduction. 

There was no further clue to the identity of the author. A.S. Land was inscribed on the title page, but she’d never heard of anyone by that name before. 

She’d begun reading the pages late that evening, a growing sense of excitement prompting her further up and further into the manuscript, until at last the reminder of an early morning meeting had convinced her to retire. 

She hadn’t slept well. 

For years she had dreamt of lions and ice, each of them devastating in their own way. She couldn’t remember when the dreams had begun - certainly before That September, but was it before or after the year she’d received her first kiss? They’d started off slowly, the dreams: a creeping sensation of cold, or the tawny flash of fur in the distance. Over the years they had returned. She’d been drowned, ice in her lungs and wrapping around the heart in her chest. She’d frozen to death, her younger brother’s hand wrapped tightly around hers as they’d fought to keep moving. She’d taken an ice spear to the head, or to the gut, or been run through by the tusks of of some unknowable creature, more reminiscent of a frozen statue than a true beast of frost and cold. 

She’d never been able to understand the lion. 

Sometimes, the warmth of his fur against her side would seem to keep away the chill like the comfort of a warm blanket. In some dreams, she’d sat astride his back, her arms thrown open in victory; in others, he (for it was always a he, even when his mane had appeared short and clumsily shorn) loomed over her, the sharp teeth jutting from his gaping maw threatening dismemberment - if she were lucky. 

The cold was always out to get her. The lion vacillated. She’d never been able to understand why. 

And she hadn’t had a dream of either force for a year before it woke her up, panting. 

In the distance, her brothers and sister stood, gazing out over the rolling hills that shaped the landscape beneath them. From the west came a cool breeze. It would have been refreshing, but when she turned her head, she could see the ice creeping along the earth, inch by inch, a great devourer. 

“Why are you afraid?” the lion whispered. It stalked in front of her, tail whipping against the air. 

“I’m not afraid,” she claimed. 

“Then Remember.”

*

By Tuesday she’d still been unable to recover the manuscript. It was as though it had disappeared entirely from her house in the night. She’d searched her bedding and bedside table and under the furniture, although she clearly remembered leaving the pages on the desk in her study before she went up to bed. 

The study itself she searched top to bottom. Each drawer in her desk was opened and examined; the wastepaper basket sorted through. She looked through the notebooks she had stacked in one corner of the shelving, underneath the soft cashmere blanket she kept neatly arranged on the chair next to the window, and behind the books that lined their cases like soldiers standing in crisp formation. 

When at last she’d given up the hunt, her black hair escaping the bun she wore in frazzled tendrils and her lips red from the way she bit them, distressed, she sank into her chair and began to make notes on the things that she remembered. 

For half a moment she’d felt like not taking advantage of the opportunity to crash Goliath’s meeting. It seemed disrespectful to admit that she’d not finished the work, and that she’d misplaced the papers besides. 

But Goliath had been right as well; she’d been investigating a bit of a historical puzzle for nearly five years now, and it seemed as though A.S. Land, whoever they were, might prove a valuable resource for her to finish. 

Which was why she was stood in front of the door to Goliath’s office at the university. She smoothed down her jacket. She wasn’t sure why she felt so nervous. And at last, she raised her hand to the door to knock. 

“Ah, there you are!” 

Goliath pulled the door open straight away, gesturing her inside. There was a man already there - Land, she presumed. He couldn’t have been much older than herself. His hair was tawny and thick about his face, and the way his amber eyes fixed on her gave him the feeling of a predator. 

It was a disconcerting feeling. She cleared her throat. 

Introductions were handled quickly; she’d walked in during the middle of their conversation and was content to let them finish while she tried not to stare. 

There was something familiar about Land. 

*

The lion crouched in the grass, his eyes fixed. She gulped. He wasn’t tracking any animal; his amber eyes were fixed on her. 

She didn’t have time to run before he pounced. 

The grass at the back of her head was soft - softer than she’d imagined it would be. The weight of the lion pinned her into the earth, his coarse fur dragging along her bare legs. Her skirt had hiked up when he’d caught her. 

She waited for his mouth to open wide and his teeth to find her skin, but instead of killing her, he dragged the flat of his sandpaper tongue over the side of her neck. 

She looked into his face, eyes wide, blood rushing in her ears, but his attention was caught elsewhere. A hailstorm, rolling in across the vista. 

“Why do you freeze yourself?” he asked her, his voice low and rumbling. 

“It’s not my ice,” she denied. 

“Isn’t it?”

*

“Are you alright?”

The voice shook her from her thoughts and she flushed. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “You’ve caught me woolgathering.”

But Land’s eyes were frank and knowing. “Have dinner with me,” he proposed. 

*

She hadn’t been to dinner with a man in ten years. She’d only been spared her family’s fate in The Accident because she had been away, taking advantage of the warm Indian summer with a day at the shore, and a night spent cavorting under a starry sky. 

It was the last time she’d worn her hair loose in public. 

That night, as she stood in front of the mirror despairing of the severe cut of her nice dress, she reached a trembling hand to the pins securing the bun at the back of her head. 

*

“Have you remembered yet?” the lion asked her, and his eyes seemed unaccountably sad, as though he wasn’t sure of the answer. 

Flashes of a life lived swam in front of her. A child’s game in a dusty old house. Growing up, and stepping into her own power. Being pulled back again - a child. Forgetting who she was - questioning. Am I real? Throwing herself into what is. The Accident. The search, the quest, the Work to distract her. Her night with Land, shivering from the heat beneath the stars. Memory after memory flitted through her consciousness with such alarming speed that it would have been painful if it wasn’t such a relief. 

Further still - primordial fire and elemental ice. The knowledge of what souls are made of. The dizzy shallows of existing outside of time, and choosing to thrust back into the rushing stream as it burbled past. 

The future. The present. The past. 

She opened her eyes. 

“Yes.”

[survivorwildwest]

Episode 3 - We’re Wrangling Cattle

After returning from Tribal Council, Michaela instructs Colby to follow her to a more secluded area in the hills. “There were only seven votes for Ben.”

“Sure.”

“There shoulda been eight.”

Colby doesn’t respond.

“Did you vote with me, Colby,” she asks without blinking.

“I voted to make the tribe stronger.”

“So, what you said on day one, that was just bullshit?”

“Michaela, no.”

“You sure?”

“Michaela, I am with you. I’m sure. I’m sorry I didn’t vote with you this time.”

“Platitudes, man. If you’re with me, show me,” she tells him before walking back to camp.

After placing their torches against the wall, Ben finds his way indoors, following Brandon. Once out of sight of anyone else, Ben wraps his arms around Brandon, “Thank you so much! I owe you my life in this game!”

“Don’t mention it. Are you gonna go find another one?”

“Well, one of us has gotta. You and I are targets now, bud.”

“Don’t worry. I’m used to it.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a common chuckwalla lounges in the sun.

The next morning, at the Suhtai camp, Elizabeth and Carl talk as they wander the desert.

“This is a bit different, huh,” Carl says.

“I’ll say.”

“But, hey, I want us to stay together moving forward. Let’s put all that bullshit from David versus Goliath behind us.”

“Absolutely. I was going to say the same thing.”

“Cool. Glad we’re on the same page.”

“Davids forever.”

“So, who do you like?”

“I like Wendy. I like Hannah. I’m put off by Wardog but I have nothing against him. Who do you like?”

“I get a good feeling from Todd.”

“Oh, I LOVE Todd.”

“What about Russell and Jerri?”

“I don’t trust them. They’re both very good and only more powerful together.”

“Hm.”

“Do you trust them?”

“Absolutely not.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“It’s too early. I want to take Taylor out. I never know where he’s at. I think the sooner we eliminate that uncertainty, the better.”

“That makes sense. What do we tell him though?”

“We’ll just say Russell or Jerri. Whatever people are feelin.”

The tribes meet again in town square at High Noon for a rousing reward challenge. Jeff says, “Suhtai, getting your first look at the new Tsitsistas tribe. Lisa voted out at the last tribal council.”

The Suhtai tribe nods, unsurprised. Jeff explains they will be competing in a game of horseshoes. “Lemme ask, you’re all used to the rice and fish on Survivor. How has the eating in the wild west been?”

“Mostly beans, Jeff,” Colby says.

“We’ve been able to catch a few crickets,” Elizabeth says.

“Well, how does a few chickens and a rooster sound?”

“Yeeeeesss,” Todd exclaims.

“I’ll give you some time to strategize and we’ll get started.”

The two tribes take their places and take their turns throwing. Everyone does about as well as an average person can until Bi, who gets significantly closer than anyone before her. Russell is next and lands quarter an inch closer to the post than Bi’s, putting Suhtai in first place. Ben takes his turn. His horseshoe lands with enough force and at such an angle upon Bi’s that it bounces forward and takes first place back. Jerri asked to go last, claiming she was “weirdly good at horseshoes. She takes her teal horseshoe from Jeff, lines her toes up with the post, squats and swings the horseshoe in her palm, so that her wrist goes through the gap every time, until she feels the weight perfectly aligned. Then, with a graceful toss, the horseshoe flips in the air over itself until it clangs with the post on its descent and spins around until falling in the sand.

“Suhtai wins reward,” Jeff calls.

“How did you get so good at horseshoes,” Colby asks, exasperated.

She gives him a wink and a grin before running back to her tribe as they celebrate with their chickens.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a desert black swallowtail flaps its wings as it floats through the dry air.

At the Tsitsistas camp, Bi tracks down Michaela. She’s sitting alone in the shade of one of the few, leafless trees. She looks up and smiles at Bi, “Sit, sista.”

“Is everyone saying that now?”

Michaela shrugs her shoulders like, “who knows, who cares?”

Bi aligns her back to the deceivingly strong tree and faces north. Michaela’s spine parallels Bi’s as she faces south.

“So,” Bi starts, “I know you and Colby are close, but hear me out.”

“Okay.”

“Kimmi played with Colby in their original season, then again with Kass in Cambodia.”

Michaela listens intently.

“And on top of that, if she gets to the merge, she’s got Jerri. Then It’s Kimmi, Kass, Colby, Jerri and you know Jerri is working with Russell.”

“That’s five.”

“That’s a big number in the merge. They’d probably only need one more to gain control.”

“Colby'll be mad.”

“So, let him be mad.”

Meanwhile, Kass and Kimmi tend to the fire. “So, you played with Colby originally,” Kass asks.

“That’s right,” she confirms.

“So, I have to imagine, with Jerri here as well, the three of you are planning on working together in the future?”

“He hasn’t said anything to me about it.”

“Hm. Are you open to it?”

“Oh, sure. I’m open to anything at this point!”

Colby approaches with tree mail as the rest of the tribe gathers round. He reads it aloud to Tsitsistas. Carl reads it to Suhtai.

“Cow? We’re wrangling cattle,” asks Wardog.

“Yee-haw, cowboy,” Jerri says as she affixes her hat to her head. Her finger glides perfectly across the brim as she points a finger gun toward Wardog and fires.

At high noon, the eighteen castaways meet Jeff at a corral in town, filled with cattle. Jeff is beaming with excitement as each tribe takes their place.

“For today’s challenge, five people from each tribe will be tasked with finding puzzle pieces in this corral.”

Everyone looks confused.

“Each tribe has five cows. Suhtai’s cows have teal bags hanging over their backs. Tsitsistas’ bags are orange. Once you get one of your cows in your tribe’s area, you may remove the bag of puzzle pieces and hand them to your two runners who will then transport the pieces to the two puzzlers up that hill,” He points to a trail up a hill about 20 feet high behind the corral. “Winning tribe gets immunity.”

The two tribes place everyone in their roles and wait for Jeff’s call. Hannah and Todd do the puzzle for Suhtai. Kass and Michaela are chosen for Tsitsistas. Jeff calls for the challenge to begin and all ten people in the corral race after cows while the four runners, Ken, Taylor, Brandon and Carl, wait at the fence for a bag of puzzle pieces. Lauren grabs a bag from a cow’s back and rushes over to hand it off to Ken. She struggles as she carries it, causing Jeff to shout, “These Bags Are Heavy!” As she gets closer to Ken, he reaches over and helps her with the weight.

“Thanks,” she says as they stare at each other.

“No problem.”

“Ken,” Brandon yells, “Run!”

“Oh, right,” he says before running up that hill.

Ben is quick behind with the second bag for Tsitsistas. He hands it off to Brandon, who immediately breaks off into a sprint.

Carl is handed the first bag for Suhtai. He throws it over his shoulder and begins his trek at a steady pace, hoping to not tire himself out. He passes Ken and Brandon on their way back. They nod to each other, but all three are already exhausted from the heat alone. Carl drops the bag with Hannah and Todd and immediately heads back to the corral, where he sees Taylor with a heel against the fence, a bag in one hand and his other hand extended for another.

“What are you doing,” he asks.

“Gonna take two at once.”

“That’s gonna waste time.”

“No, it’s gonna save time.”

“Everyone else has already gone and come back.”

“Trust me.”

Carl shakes his head, lines up next to his teammate and waits for the next bag. Next to them, Ken is handed a bag from Kimmi. Brandon is handed one from Bi. Both members of Tsitsistas begin their second leg of the challenge. Leaving at the same time, they have an unannounced but well-spirited race to Michaela and Kass. By the time they get to the peak of the hill, Michaela and Kass appear to have already finished the first two bags’ worth of pieces.

Elizabeth hands Carl another bag and he begins his jog again. Shortly thereafter, Wardog hands Taylor another bag. He begins his sprint, but loses all his speed after three steps. Carl makes his way back to Hannah and Todd, who look at him, confused.

“Taylor’s got a plan,” he assures them through heavy sighs.

“Whaaaat’s his plan,” Hannah asks.

Todd looks over at the other tribe’s puzzle. It’s nearly finished at this point. He tries to make out the puzzle’s pattern from their placements. He maneuvers a few pieces around, but he only has half the pieces they do. As Carl descends the hill once more, he sees Taylor lugging up the two bags. The bags are now in the sand behind him as he drags them.

“Tails!” Todd yells, “Hurry!”

Taylor puts a little more oomph in each step, but it doesn’t make much a difference in the sand. As he reaches the peak, but before he hands the bags off, Ken and Brandon carry their final bag together and pass him. They give their final bag to Michaela and Kass, who plug in the remaining pieces with no trouble. Jeff calls, “Tsitsistas win immunity.”

After the challenge, no one will give Hannah the time of day at the Suhtai camp. Everyone sees her as aligned with Taylor and she knows Taylor is the target. The two Millennials find some shade to talk.

“So, you know you’re the target,” she says.

“Yeah.”

“So, what do you want to do about that?”

Taylor looks back at camp, at the rest of their tribe, “What about… Todd?”

“No one’s going to vote for Todd.”

“Why not?”

“Everyone loves Todd.”

“Yeah, but he already won.”

“I know, Tails. I just don’t think now is the time.”

“Who do you think then?”

“Jerri scares me. She’s got a lot of connections.”

“You think people will go for that?”

Her eyes bug out as her cheeks fill with air. As she exhales, she tells Taylor, “You better hope they do. You might want to think about making a deal with God.”

“What?”

“Just-- I’m gonna try, Taylor.”

“Okay.”

Back in camp, Elizabeth, Carl, Todd, Russell, Jerri, Wendy and Wardog all sit around the fire. Todd raises his hands a couple inches in front of him and stops them quickly to get everyone’s attention, “So, we’re all voting Tails tonight, right?”

Everyone kind of nods and shrugs in agreement.

“And then, Hannah can vote for whoever. Her vote doesn’t really matter.”

“What if they have an idol,” Russell asks without taking his eyes off the fire.

“I don’t think they do,” Wendy says.

“Can we find out for sure,” Russell asks, his eyes now moving slowly from the flames to Wendy’s pupils. She freezes. Jerri takes Wendy’s hand in her own and Wendy turns to her.

“Wendy, sweetheart,” Jerri says with a soothing tone, “will you find out if Hannah or Taylor has an idol?”

Wendy sees Hannah walking past the fire without Taylor.

She turns back to Jerri, “Yes, yes, I can- I will find out.”

“Thank you,” Jerri says as Wendy walks off into the dark of the desert night. She meets up with Hannah.

“Hannah!”

“What’s going on?”

She shuffles over to her, “They’re worried one of you has an idol.”

“We don’t! You do! You’re not going to play your idol for Taylor, are you?”

“No!”

“Wait, so are they splitting the votes?”

“I don’t think so. I think it’s Tails”

“Everyone?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“You want to work with me?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t know if I can save Taylor, but if I can, he’s ours for the rest of the game.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

Hannah rubs her temples, “Jerri, I guess?”

“Jerri?”

“Do you think Wardog would vote for Jerri?”

“I don’t know. He, like, idolizes Russell and his…” she makes gibberish with her hands, “gameplay.”

“Who do you suggest then?”

After some contemplation, Wendy says, “I’ll talk to Wardog.”

“Thank you.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a yellow primrose flutters in the heat.

Wendy and Hannah return to camp with nothing more than exhausted faces. 

“Hot out,” Wardog asks as he laughs, tossing a rock in his hand.

“I need to talk to you,” Wendy says.

“Okay, what’s up?”

“What do you think of voting for Jerri?”

Wardog’s rock drops in his palm with a heavy thud.

“I don’t know why you’re trying to piss people off already, Wendy.”

“She’s got too many connections.”

“That’s exactly why you can’t go after her yet,” he explains, tapping the back of his hand on her shoulder, “That’s Colby mad at you. That’s Russell mad at you and THAT’S Brandon mad at you. I wouldn’t risk it. Just take the easy vote.”

“Wendy,” Jerri calls from across camp, waving her over. Wendy leaves Wardog and heads toward Jerri.

“What’s up?”

“Did you talk to Hannah?”

“Yes! I did!”

“And what’s the report?”

“She does not have an idol!”

“You’re sure?”

“A hundred percent.”

“How are you so sure?”

Wendy takes a moment before she responds, fearing she’s been caught, but then says, “She told me.”

“And you trust her?”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

“Alright,” she says before adorning her hat once again for tribal council.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a valley pocket gopher burrows into the sand.

Jeff welcomes Suhtai back to the Tribal Council campfire and receives disgruntled chuckles. “So,” he starts as he slaps the top of his thighs and sits on his stump, “here we are again. Now that we’re a little more acclimated to the environment, are things getting easier?”

“Sand’s different when there’s no water,” Elizabeth says.

“Hot?”

“I wake up sweating.”

Jeff laughs and moves onto his next question, “You’ve all played before, some of you have won,” he says, pointing toward Todd with an open palm, “Is the social aspect of the game significantly harder with more seasoned players?”

“You know, Jeff,” Todd says, “I think the fact these players have played before makes them realize what the priorities of the tribe as a whole should be.”

“Do you agree with that Taylor?”

“Haha, I mean, I know Todd wants me out. Everyone wanted me out after the Cao Boi vote. I’m just hoping the work done today can help my cause.”

“You put work in to get the target off you?”

“Yeah, so Hannah and I were talking and I came up with a plan and she went and talked to the right people, so fingers crossed, I’m here tomorrow.”

“So, the two of you had an idea and then Hannah put it into action?”

The tribe laughs at Taylor as he says, “Yeah, well, I’m hoping she did.”

“Alright, well, with that, it is time to vote. Taylor, you’re up first.”

Taylor walks up to the voting booth, writes Jerri’s name, holds it to the camera with his fingers crossed and places it in the urn. Jerri votes for Taylor, as does Todd with a “duh,” face to the camera. Hannah takes a long time when she goes to vote.

Jeff tallies the votes, then says, “If anyone has the hidden immunity and you’d like to play it, now would be the time to do so.” 

No one plays anything. Jeff reads the votes, “Taylor, Jerri,” Jerri rolls her eyes upon seeing Taylor has written, ‘Jerry.’ 

Jeff continues, “Taylor, Taylor, Taylor, third person voted off Survivor: Wild West” he holds up the parchment. It says “Tails” with a quick sketch of Sonic’s friend Tails in the corner.

Taylor laughs as Jeff reads the last vote. “Who’s that little guy?” he asks. He takes his torch to Jeff to be snuffed. 

Once Taylor leaves, Jeff turns back to the tribe, “While you may be having a hard time with the environment, after two unanimous votes, you seem to know how to solidify a tribe.”

Read Episode 4 here

[darksiders-scenarios]

Can we have scenarios for Death and War, where they see something that makes them think their s/o's are cheating on them but in the end it turns out it was a misunderstanding. Or, if you'd rather have the horsemen being the "cheaters" that would be totally ok. I just want some relationship angst that ends in reassurance and cuddle-fluff.

~Well… this is officially an essay that I’ve just typed. Too long to add War’s but I will make time to post it soon :) Sorry if it’s not angsty enough. I typed this late at night and um, yeah a lot of things can be wrong. I can’t really see Death as a raging type but well *sighs* I tried something *boohoo* I don’t knooooooowwwww. Here’s the thing. Now lemme go wallow somewhere…

Death

The overhead blue lights were stinging your eyes, causing them to water and prompting you to shield them with the cups of your palms. Leaning your elbows upon the counter, you grimaced at the buzz of people chattering endlessly, the combination of their voices and blasting music pounded against your eardrums, deepening your throbbing headache.

You took another shot, wincing at the sensation of the alcohol sliding down your throat, burning so much that you wouldn’t be surprised if it seared your skin. The pain was tolerable though. More tolerable than this excruciating reality.

Through your near drunken state, despite your best efforts, you couldn’t shake him off your mind. ‘Couldn’t, or wouldn’t?’ your inner voice taunted. You twirled the wine glass in your hand, feeling the cold, smooth glass caress your skin. You raised your head and looked around the pub.

Dancing under the spotlight, drinking and bantering amiably amongst one another, beautiful humans covered every space of the floor. The atmosphere was disgustingly pleasant.  Beautiful… with their perfect bodies and endearing features that fit the ideal beauty standards of your society. Bliss and enjoyment adorned their features. Outgoing. Beautiful. Perfect.

Your grip on the glass tightened so much you felt it crack under your fingers.

The same humans who admired your horseman companion, who would do anything to get close to him. You wouldn’t be surprised if he relented. Simultaneously, you knew that he would do no such thing. He never responded to their flirtatious advances nor their flower gifting nor their desire to take selfie shots with him. He had always been courteous and politely declined their advances. You could only assume that he was not familiar with the human ‘courting system’.

Although you and Death had never officially declared your relationship for one another, there was a mutual agreement that you would remain at each other’s side. But that was before humanity’s resurrection. And you were the only human back then. And with all the attention he was now receiving, you were no longer certain if that understanding was really mutual. And all it did was fuel your insecurity and catastrophising.

You remained sat on the high stool until the final orange hue of the evening light dissipated entirely. Someone nudged you in the side but you feebly swatted the hand away. You were too drained and lacked all motivation to converse with anyone.

“Y/N?” a familiar voice called. Even through your hazy mind, you recognised the person. It wasn’t him.

You looked up and saw that it was your older cousin standing over you. There was a concerned look on their face as they drew a seat and sat beside you. “How come you’re here,” they questioned. “I didn’t know you drank.” It was true. It was rare that you consumed alcohol, only drinking out of politeness with your family and friends. But lately, you found that you liked the way it disoriented you and clouded your inhibitions during depressive moments.  

You’re not sure what prompted you. Because the moment you opened your mouth, a string of garbled, incoherent ramble was let loose. Whether the sentences connected or what you said made sense mattered little. Perhaps it was the concern of another human being, or that it was a family member, you weren’t sure. Perhaps it was your intoxicated state that pushed you to do what you did next. Because all of a sudden human contact didn’t seem so bad. A hug. A sense of security. Comfort. Anything. That’s all you wanted. All you needed.

And that’s what you did. Just before you felt your consciousness fade in and out of reality. Everything was suddenly a blur and all sounds fluctuated between jarring and muffling. There was the faint sound of people gasping and scuttling away before you dimly felt yourself being slung over the shoulder of a towering Goliath. You struggled at first but your attempts were as feeble as a mouse against the bulk of a feline. And it was with a heavy heart that you let yourself be carried away just before blacking out completely.

When you woke up, you weren’t in your bed. You were lain sideways on your couch in the living room. The dim orange glow of the light bulb elicited a groan from your lips and you pushed your face into the cushion that was underneath your head.

“Too bright?” came Death’s deep voice. Groaning in response, you heard heavy footsteps before the light was switched off. You didn’t move, rattling your mind of how you ended up here and feeling your heart race when you couldn’t remember instantly.

A cool hand touched your arm. Turning your face to the side, you saw that he was holding a glass of water. He helped you sit up and you winced in pain. You glanced at Death. His amber gaze was neutral but he wasn’t staring at you. Your skin prickled at an unsettling feeling, worry escalating slightly.

When your fingers fumbled weakly to hold the glass, he pressed its edge to your lips and gently tipped your head back. You noticed that his shoulders were tense and the muscles in his extended arm were taut. You swallowed, feeling the cool liquid cleansing your sore throat.

“W-What happened?” you croaked.  

“Drink,” he commanded simply but his voice was not unkind. So you took another sip. As you drank, the memories gradually seeped into your mind; you were sitting in the pub, brooding… and then your cousin came. You felt your stomach muscles clench tightly when it dawned on you what happened afterwards. The heavy loneliness, the desperate need for comfort. The hug. Had Death witnessed it?

As he drew back, you reached out and clasped his forearm. He paused in place but no words were uttered. Your mind was a hollowed buzz as you waited. He sighed then. It was slow and lengthy. You couldn’t handle it.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered at last, eyes drawing as far up to his collarbone. You couldn’t go beyond it.

His shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “You did nothing that requires an apology,” the words sounded drawn. “But your referral to intoxication as a means of coping is troubling.”

You frowned. He wasn’t even asking what you’ve been doing. “Where is C/N?” you asked instead.

“To my knowledge, they remained within the building but I didn’t chance a second glance back,” he replied lightly, although you suspected there was more to his statement. “Would you rather I take you back to them?”

You shook your head, immediately regretting as you felt your brain rattle within your skull. “No,” you muttered.

“Y/N, look at me” he tried again. You complied, noticing deepening frown lines above his mask. “We’ve known each other for a long time, long enough to attain an understanding that it is no sin to shroud certain aspects about us in secrecy,” he gently pried your hand from his arm and laid it to your side. For some reason, it felt like rejection.

“However, I would strongly discourage you from adopting this unhealthy method. It’s dangerous and as I stated earlier, troubling,” he paused as you started to breathe heavily, lips pressed tightly together. “It might be wise for you to seek out a human healer.”

You slammed your hand against the coffee table in front of you. Straightening your back, you threw a heated glare at him to which he returned with that same neutral look. “That’s it then? You’re dismissing me?”

He blinked. “Forgive me,” he said lowly, leaning back and letting his hands fall onto his crossed legs. “But I was under the impression that humans sought advice from human professionals, or therapists as you call them.”

“Don’t you even want to know why I’m feeling that way?” you argued, vocal muscles protesting against the sudden strain.

He dipped his head slightly. The only sounds in the room were the clock ticking and your hurried breathing. He remained silent for a while, as if debating with himself. “You are conflicted. Fearful. Mourning,” he sighed, his amber eyes losing some of its intensity. “A growing resentment rises within you, wailing, in desperate need of something. A need to understand. A need to be understood.”

You averted your gaze to the glass in your hand. It came as no surprise. He had always been insightful. Was that… guilt that you were experiencing?

“All of these that you’re searching for,” he added quietly. “I don’t think I can give you. I am no human, I do not comprehend the human psyche as profoundly as you do, as one is expected to when bonding.”

“Death, I-”

“It is no sin to leave certain things unsaid,” he carried on. “But perhaps, that was the driving force.”

“Driving force?” you echoed to yourself, eyes instantly widening when it dawned on you his implication. Your cousin. The comfort you were seeking- missing. You sought in them. “Death,” you began, searching his eyes yet unable to read his expression as usual. “I was disoriented,” you reminded him.

“So you were,” he hummed, matter-of-factly. It made you bristle.

“But I wasn’t cheating on you.”

His expression remained impassive. The overwhelming loneliness and desperation returned with a vengeance. “I am not angry-”.

“I will never cheat on you!” you yelled, placing both hands on the table as you leant forward, panting and staring wide-eyed at the horseman. “How could I ever…” you shook your head, disbelief slamming into you. “I could never do that to you. I’m just-” you halted yourself. It’s no use, how could he understand?

“You’re just?” Death prompted, fingers curling onto the surface of the table.

“I was the one thinking you were gonna leave me,” you moaned, clenching your fists. “I’m so scared,” you added lamely.

“And that fear is keeping you in place,” he affirmed softly.

“I know. And yet, I don’t know,” you chuckled dryly, looking away. “I’ve had this fear for a long time and it’s just becoming more intense everyday. I keep thinking, oh I don’t know, that maybe you’ll get bored of me. Maybe you’ll just, just… I don’t know.”

“You have a tendency to utilise that phrase a lot.”

“I know…”  you shrugged. “Death... I don’t desire anyone else besides you.”

“And I you.”

You gritted your teeth, “I wish I could understand you sometimes,” you muttered.

Through the corner of your eye, you saw him rub a hand over his mask, making your insides churn even more unpleasantly. “Oh Y/N, come here.” You felt his solid hand grasp your wrist, nudging until you stood up and allowed him to direct you around the table. Once close enough, he snaked a brawny arm around your waist, drawing you to sit on his knee.

Despite yourself, your heart hammered against your chest at this unexpected display of affection. You have always marvelled his physique from a distant, daydreaming and wondering what it would be like to hold him or cuddle him.

“I’m not the easiest being to be with, I understand that,” he brushed a large hand over your scalp, a morose look in his eyes. “My past has always remained concealed and it will remain so for a very long time. But that is not to say that I am intolerant of your emotional needs. The Nephilim are creatures of chaos and destruction. Humans are creatures of emotions and intelligence,” he paused as he drew his other hand to your back, pushing you till your face rested on his shoulder. You let your gaze linger on his deep engraved rune.

“Death,” you murmured. “What we lack is communication.”

You felt him nod. “It was wrong of me to assume that you were in love with another human.”

“I’m sorry too.”

A quiet moment ensured as you both sat still in the dimness of the lounge, relishing in each other’s company. “Guide me Y/N,” he breathed into your hair. “What can I do?”

“Just,” you clutched his shoulders with trembling fingers. “Just hold me?”

Wordlessly, he drew his face back to stare at you, softly taking you in. His eyes creased, that morose look melting into some more affectionate. Lowering his head down, you sighed contentedly at the feel of his firm cheek gently squeezing against yours.

[thegraytalon-blog]

Top 13 Console Video Games of Generation 8 (2012 – 2019)

Intro/Overview:

Hey everyone, The Gray Talon here, setting his sights on yet another unsuspecting prey and TODAY we are going to be talking and discussing the top 13 console video games of the current console generation. And why 13 some of you may be asking? Because the Gray Talon strikes with all of his 13 claws! Yes, he is that meta. 

So I know for my first list here it’s quite a broad choice, seeing as though we are about a little over 6 years strong into this cycle of console video games. I’m going to do my best here to be as unbiased as I can be, broadening my gaming palette and bringing to you the top 13 titles that I have played in it’s entirety over the past 6 years and felt stood out to me in terms of presentation, performance and overall replay value. And in terms of replay value, I don’t necessarily mean a physical replay value, but rather I ask “Does this game stick around either physically or mentally that resonated with me in the long run?” Another thing to keep in mind is that I am a tremendous fan of narratives and games heavily focused on story, which will play a factor in my list as well as I try to remain unbiased as possible, I do hold a soft spot for games with a focus on a good tale and character development alike.  This list will also try to stray away from remasters, such as The Last of Us for PS4 for example that is a port of a previous generation title without changing anything other than graphics and some technical performance such as framerate. I will be refraining from listing any Indie games as well  as I feel those games have become so prominent over the past few years, that they deserve the respect of having their own special list. And lastly, expect a lot of honorable mentions at the end of the video, because selecting a mere 13 games from a list of some amazing games from over 6 years was increasingly difficult. And yes, as you may have guessed, expect some SPOILERS AHEAD!

So without further delay, let’s get started!

     Number 13:   

Nier: Automata – PS4 – (March 17th 2017 initial release)

What do you get when you combine a pseudo post-apocalyptic android world with, well, this guy (show Yoko Taro pic)? A beautiful recipe of some of the most brilliant forms of mind-fuckery since the likings of Hideo Kojima first tried to scramble our brains when Pyscho Mantis read off our game save files in Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation. In this hack and slash with light RPG elements, dive headfirst into a deep and dark narrative, focused on the concept of humanoid replicant androids and sentient robots developing emotions, feelings and even their own personal ideologies, while trying to combat armies of machine robots from distant worlds. It’s one part Blade Runner, one part Matrix, and all parts awesome. Plus it’s made by Platinum Games, the developer’s of Bayonetta and the original Devil May Cry. So if that’s not enough incentive to immediately run out and play this game, I’m not sure what will convince you.

Number 12:

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor – PS4/XB1 – September 30th 2014

Well, this game surely came out of left field, but it sure was a sight for sore eyes. Developed by Monolith Studios, who were responsible for the successful F.E.A.R. games and piggybacking off of the success of the Batman Arkham series, Middle Earth provides some of the most fluid combat and free flowing action since the Arkham titles, indeed, only much, much more brutal. We’re talking more decapitations than the entire Game of Thrones series has accomplished. The story is the other half of the reason why this made my list. It tells the tale of the creation of the ring of power that led to the evil lord Sauron’s rise as you fight within the realm of Mordor before the events that transpired in Lord of the Rings or even The Hobbit as you take on the role of Tallion, a brave and noble ranger who once met his demise and is now joined with a wraith on a quest for vengeance against those who were responsible for his family’s death. A simple quest for revenge will snowball into quite a journey as you build up your armies by capturing orcs and lead the fight back against the evil forces of Sauron. If you’re a fan of action games with a sprinkle of Assassin’s Creed like platforming, then this will be a match made in heaven, or in this case, the hellish land of Mordor.

   Number 11:

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – PS4/XB1 – September 1st 2015

In this final true entry in the Metal Gear Solid series from the renown mind of famed game writer and director, Hideo Kojima, you take on the role of Big Boss from the 80’s. After waking from a 9 year coma following the events of Ground Zeroes, you free roam the vast Afghanistan plains during the Soviet-Afghan war to track down those responsible for the destruction of your old mercenary group, Military Sans Frontieres. Along with returning compadre in arms and once rival, Ocelot, prepare yourself as you take on a slew of missions to uncover the truth about the plot leading to the creation of a new Metal Gear that could potentially destroy the world. The game is fun and addictive, giving you access to an array of dozens of missions and hundreds of side ops alike, ranging from action to stealth as you infiltrate bases, rescue civilians and soldiers, gather intel and take down enemy artillery. You get support characters too such as a dog and Quiet the sniper, who will come in more than useful to you along your journey. And if you stick to it until the very end, you will not be sorry as the saga of Snake comes to a head and a somewhat emotional conclusion too, knowing the history behind the series, legacy and even controversial drama leading up to the inevitable parting of ways with Konami and Hideo Kojima.

Number 10:

Resident Evil 2 (Remake) – PS4/XB1 – January 25th 2019

I know this game just came out a month ago, but I just had to sneak it onto my list here. It was just such a prestigious remake and I know I said I would not include remasters on my list, but this is not your average remaster. It is a complete rebuild of a 21 year old game from the ground up, completely reimagining the horrors and terrors, fusing together the elements of what made the original Resident Evil trilogy truly frightening with the beloved camera and controls of Resident Evil 4. Fear lurks around every turn in tandem with some intense action sequences. There are numerous campaigns to play through as well, 4 in total if you count Leon and Claire’s A and B sides. I am going to link my video review in the description as well for more information and greater detail. It truly is a match made in heaven, or at the very least, a match made in the depth of the darkest labs of the Umbrella Corporation. 

    Number 9:

Horizon: Zero Dawn – PS4 – February 8th 2017

From the developers of Killzone, yes that’s right my young padawans, Killzone, the first person shooter Playstation exclusive series, comes a third person adventure set in a beautifully rendered, lush, post-apocalyptic world with a vivacious and ambitious tale revolving around sentient feral like machines, with resemblance to prehistoric creatures that lived millions of years ago.. You take on the role of Aloy, a fierce female warrior from the 31st century tribe called the Nora. After proving herself when she becomes of age, she obtains an augmented reality device called Focus and after being attacked for looking like a scientist from the old world, she then embarks on a journey that leads to her uncovering quite an incredible story behind the creation of the cybernetic creatures that roam the landscape. The gameplay focuses on a myriad of weapon crafting for your arsenal of spears, bows and quivers, ranging from high end explosives to mines and traps. Crafting plays a big role in the game too as you must gather resources in the environment to build up your ever growing arsenal. Also you can free flow using platforming techniques and zip line from all over the huge map. The game feels like a robust and futuristic Tomb Raider and should not be missed of anyone that is a fan of an empowering action/adventure game mixed in with an interesting narrative along the way.

Number 8:

Dark Souls III – PS4/XB1 – April 12th 2016

Return to Lothric one last time to kindle the bonfires as you set out on a harrowing journey to take on Kiln of the First Flame! You are the Ashen one and must return the Lords of Cinder to their rightful thrones while embarking in a wonderfully interconnected medieval world, littered with brazen creatures, shortcuts, secrets and treasures alike. Well, in case you haven’t guessed, I am a pretty huge fan of the Souls series and the third and final entry in the series is no slouch. With dozens of David and Goliath like boss fights and some challenging sub-boss battles, go it alone or bring 2 other lost souls to team up in co-op as you fight for survival. Experience a variety of builds per class. Become a heavy brute and pound foes into the ground with that sweet ultra greatsword or take on the role of a cleric to zap opponents from afar with spells and hexes. The combinations of character builds are nearly endless and the replay value is incredibly high as you level up to be able to withstand the might of the overbearing world of Lothric. The mechanics are the most fluid and the game’s speed almost resembles From Software’s Bloodborne at times. Plus, with Hidetaka Miyazaki-san returning to direct this time around, it truly feels like the definitive Dark Soul experience. Any fan of hardcore action/RPG’s will be right at home here.

Number 7:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Switch/Wii U – March 3rd 2017

We return to the ever enchanting land of Hyrule as the heroic Link to embark on yet another tale to once again purge the evil that Ganon has loomed over the land. In this first truly open world Zelda game, you really can feel the utmost sense of wanderlust as you feel the need to explore every nook and cranny of the vast landscape, which seemingly has no limitations whatsoever. That is the biggest draw of this particular Zelda game. The liberating sensation to do almost anything you can imagine, whether it be collecting ingredients to sizzle over a frying pan to cook up that next concoction to withstand the extreme cold of the uncharted Hebra valleys or the intense heat of the Goron volcanic mountain ranges, or climbing up the side of a thousand foot wall to try and reach the top without running out of stamina. The world is truly your oyster here and you can even take on Ganon right out the gate, although I highly recommend you don’t unless you’re some kind of Hylian sorcerer. And lastly, the shrines in the game which provide upgrades either to your stamina or hearts by solving puzzles, are possibly the most addictive part of this game. You will have to literally pry yourself away from the game as you scour the land, high and low, seeking out those hidden little caves of wonders.

 Number 6:

Super Mario: Odyssey – Switch – October 27th 2017

When I first saw the gameplay trailer for the latest 3D Mario title, I knew instantaneously that it would be fun, but I did not realize it would be possibly the best 3D Mario game I would have ever experienced. My all time favorite 3D Mario game is, by quite the unpopular opinion, Super Mario Sunshine. I was glamoured by the freedom of roaming from world to world in tandem with being the sole member of a clean up crew tasked with ridding Isle Delfino with that grimy, inky substance. Plus the normal Mario platforming levels were fun to boot. But now, in Super Mario Odyssey, everything is dialed up to 11 in the Mushroom Kingdom realm. I mean, you can become a freakin’ T-Rex with an Italian mustache  for crying out loud by the simple toss of a hat! Or don the fierce and angry explosive power of a mustached Bullet Bill. Or launch yourself as a Chomp-Chomp to breakdown barriers and obstacles in your path. Plus, the 2D sections are a serious retro nod to Mario games of the time of olde and transition seamlessly from 3D to 2D as you might expect. Lastly, the freaking addiction for shines, well moonshines, this time around becomes real as you pretty much sell your plumbing soul for a shot at getting all of them per world.

 Number 5:

Bloodborne – PS4 – March 21st 2015

From Software really knocked this one hit wonder out of the park. From the makers of the Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls games, comes a dark, gothic title with a dee and, mythic lore.  As a hunter of beasts, try to purge the plague from the land as you fight back against creatures of folklore such as Lycans, Trolls and Cthulhu type monsters.  A game that forces you to face your fears and strike back in the face of towering difficulty and strife in a fast paced, hardcore action/RPG that will cause your blood to boil at times with intense combat sequences, leaving your heart pounding and yearning for more and if you strike back quickly enough you may just regain health after being hit with the regain feature as well. This was my first From Software game that I not only played through once, but twice on it’s new game plus mode as I was consumed within the Hunter’s Dream in the far away land of Yharnam, so it will forever have a special place in my heart. 

 Number 4:

The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt – PS4/XB1 – May 19th 2015:

Well, if it wasn’t for the finale of good ol’ Geralt of Rivia here coming out in 2015, Bloodborne would have been my GOTY (Game of the Year), but, alas, once The Wild Hunt dropped into The Gray Talon’s claws, they were clenched for what felt like an eternity. If anyone asked me what my all time favorite action/RPG is of this generation that is the complete package, the gaming Oscar would go to The Witcher III each and every time. The level of detail present in this game cannot simply be put into words. While the graphics themselves may not be up to par with other games of this generation, the attention to detail in the beautifully crafted Continent Geralt is on is astounding to say the least. For example, you;’ll just be walking into town minding your own business when you’ll happen to notice out of the corner of your eye a water wheel connected to an turnstile system with flowing water that if you follow it closely you’ll begin to see how the irrigation system of that specific town works. The game is just that damn intricate. Not to mention the plethora of quests you can do ranging from aiding warring empires, which makes you feel like you’re playing the unofficial Game of Thrones game, to slaying beasts of burden whilst concocting tonics and potions like the true Witcher you are. Plus the downloadable content is probably better than the main story too, which is possibly the first time that’s ever happened and must be experienced that gives Geralt of Rivia the true ending he so rightfully deserves. 

 Number 3:

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – PS4 – May 10th 2016

Now that we have gotten into the final big three here, I want to remind everyone that the next three games have been personally chosen because of their heavy and robust focus on delivering a strong narrative, which is my one true Achilles’ heel. The final chapter in the Nathan Drake saga goes out with such a beautiful bang, I damn near had to play through it twice just to soak up all of its memorable moments. Everyone from the previous three games returns and in a glorious fashion to boot. From fast paced motorcycle chases in the Middle East to traversing the Sahara by jeep to hike and climb up mountain trails, this final chapter does not pull its punches for anything. There’s even one part of the game where you feel like you’re freaking James Bond, pulling off a heist in an exotic locale that ends in an Indiana Jones infused madness of swinging from whips and ropes through a series of windows and objects to make your daring escape. The Uncharted series to me always felt like a modern day Indiana Jones anyway, which does not disappoint when it is doing what it does best. Exploring mystical lands in hopes of finding famous treasures left behind by legends of the past that usually end with high octane explosions, chases and perilous escapes from life threatening scenarios. Also the story has charm and heart, leaving you more than satisfied more and more with each entry in the series leading to the conclusion in which you cannot help have a smile on your face. The game even ends in a way that the esteemed developer Naughty Dog can even pick up at any time they want in the future. It’s brilliant writing like this that should be commended, recognized and put high up on a pedestal to be praised, such as now in this list.

         Number 2:

Red Dead Redemption II – PS4/XB1 – October 26th 2018

If I was making a top list of games for last generation, Red Dead Redemption 1 would have been my top game hands down. In no way, shape or form would I have ever imagined that  it’s numbered sequel would also make another top tiered game for me in this present day and age. The critically acclaimed developer, Rockstar Games, once again tantalizes and does not disappoint with their newest title. Set approximately 15 years before the events of Red Dead Redemption, the sequel, or prequel rather, sets you into the high top post 19th century boots of Arthur Morgan, right hand man to Dutch Van Der Linde as they all try to learn to adapt to the new 20th century American lifestyle and leave the criminal life behind…or do they? The snowball effect is immensely present as you struggle to survive the onslaught from one bad move to another that Dutch makes for his gang. Without spoiling too much, I will just say to ready those Kleenex, because for those of you who played the first game know, expect one teary eyed ending once again, in both the good, the bad and the ugly. Another reason why this game holds my second place slot securely is because of yet again it’s exasperating attention to detail. If Witcher III was so refined in showcasing the intricate workings of a wooden water wheel, then get ready to completely crap your pantsuit as Red Dead Redemption II dials the attention to detail up to 11, possibly even 12 as they turn it into an obsession to detail with such things as going as far as making a horse’s private parts grow or shrink depending on what climate you are presently in on the map. You can also become dirty and need a bath after traveling for many in game hours along with growing hair and facial hair in real time that can grow as long as a rock star and look like Odin from Asgard if enough time passes. Plus, there are some random encounters that are just as emotional as some of the story segments and can pop up at any given and unprompted time. In terms of the core gameplay, you’re a gunslinger in third person (but there is also a first person option) and use a slow motion deadeye mechanic to carefully pick apart your foes. Take to riding horseback and even carriages to soak up what remains of the old west. Overall this is a game not to be missed by any means necessary and some parts of it’s illustrious and gritty tale will stick with me in my mind until the last day I draw breath.  

     Number 1:

God of War – PS4 – April 20th 2018

From Sony Santa Monica Studios and the ingenious mind of the game’s writer and director Corey Balrog, comes the likes of something we have never bore witness to. A video game franchise that was 13 years old had been completely and utterly transformed and reconstructed from the ground up to feel so fresh and new yet retaining enough familiarity with beloved antihero Kratos and the rich lore found in his previous titles. What shocks and awes me first about this game is while the setting and lore completely shifted to that of Viking mythology, it somehow manages to keep the focus on the weight burden of Kratos and his actions that he has carried over after leaving the ravaged lands of Ancient Greece behind. Kratos not only carries with him a now repressed curse of his choices, but is left with a son as well. (THE BOY!!!) Shortly after losing his wife and mother of his child, Kratos sets off on a simple journey with his son to scatter his mother’s ashes atop a summit on a snowy mountain. However, little did they know the perilous adventure that awaited them. The new God of War delivers such an emotional performance from Kratos with several call backs to previous games in ways that slowly build up and shape his character arc even more than imaginable. He goes from suppressing the all too well known Spartan rage to slowly unleashing it by the journey’s end in ways quite unfathomable. The core gameplay has been completely redesigned as well. The new camera provides a more focused over the shoulder angle and each swing of that ever so faithful Leviathan Axe has an extreme presence as you bear dominance over your foes. Plus, the callback feature of the axe where you press the action button and axe comes flying back into your hands like you’re flipping Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader never gets tiring. There’s a light focus on upgrading your armor and gear this time around too, where the focus is not just weapon or magic upgrading but finding the rarest pieces of armor that scale to your level so you can go toe to toe with some of Norse mythologies most relentless of foul beasts. This title also won many GOTY for 2018 awards and rightfully so.  It has achieved so much and deserves such acknowledgement for breathing a new form of life into this once aging franchise. This is my number 1 game of this generation thus far and while this console generation is not yet laid to rest, I will find it increasingly difficult for the Ghost of Sparta to be toppled anytime soon. 

Conclusion:

So there you have it folks. This was The Gray Talon’s top 13 games of this console generation. Thank you tremendously for watching as always. Please share and like this video and please subscribe so you don’t miss out on the latest content from The Gray Talon’s lair. And finally, please find the honorable mentions listed below:

1. Infamous: Second Son – PS4 – 3/21/2014 

2. Bayonetta 2 – Wii U – 10/24/2014

3. Sunset Overdrive – XB1 – 10/28/2014

4. Yakuza 0 – PS4 – 3/12/2015 

5. Batman: Arkham Knight – PS4/XB1 – 6/23/2015 – (Honorable Mention)

6. Rise of the Tomb Raider – XB1 - 11/10/2015

7. Far Cry: Primal – PS4/XB1 – 2/19/2016 – (Honorable Mention)

8. Doom – PS4/XB1 – 5/13/2016 – (Honorable Mention)

9. Titanfall 2 – PS4/XB1 – 10/28/2016 (Honorable Mention)

10. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – PS4 – 8/8/2017

11. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – PS4/XB1 – 10/27/2017 – (Honorable Mention)

12. Detroit: Become Human – PS4 – 5/25/2018 – (Honorable Mention)

13. Octopath: Traveler – Switch – 7/13/2018 – (Honorable Mention)

14. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise – PS4 – 10/2/2018

15. Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee – Switch – 11/16/2018 – (Honorable Mention)

[enkelimagnus]

A Castle in the Forest

Percy x Vex’ahlia, Chapter 4, 3337 words,

A Modern AU, in which Vex is a park ranger taking over the Alabaster Sierras post, and finds much more than she bargained for

Read on AO3

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

The Lady’s Chamber is an amphitheatre, standing facing the crossroads of the second biggest crossing of Whitestone. Vex has driven by it a couple of times now, and she’s always seen a couple of worshippers there. Now that she knows the state of the Zenith’s congregation, it seems like this one is much more popular.

The theater part is domed in cream-colored stone. It’s in much better shape than the Zenith, despite the desolate patches of grass peeking out of the stones of the courtyard surrounding it. It’s winter however, so desolate grass is no real surprise.

Whitestone feels a little less like somewhere she could run away and hide in now that she’s felt the heaviness lingering in the city’s past. Vex is a little shaken by Father Reynal, his attitude and the state of his temple.

It’s mid afternoon and the sun has descended greatly on the horizon. Shadows grow as she steps closer to the door to the inner part of the Lady’s Chamber. The theater itself is empty, but she’s hoping the sanctum will at least have a priest. And with luck, this priest will be able to help her root the fiend out.

The door is made of metal and she knocks on it with the scale-shaped knocker. Someone must have been right behind it, because she doesn’t have to wait very long before it opens.

Vex tries not to let her disappointment show on her face. The person behind the door has thick white mustaches and receding white hair and looks weathered by time. He probably won’t be up for a hike and a battle with a fiend.

Fuck, what is it with this town and elderly clerics?

“Can I help you, ser?” The older priest says with a polite but not incredibly cheerful smile.

“Good day, Elder,” Vex replies in kind, before starting to explain again who she is and why she’s there. The facts haven't changed since she’s talked to Father Reynal.

She’s faced with a similar look from this priest than Father Reynal’s. A muted concern, and light dismissal. She’s already tired of this town’s clergy and she doesn’t even know this one’s name.

“Come in, for a moment,” the priest says before letting Vex into the sanctum of the temple.

It’s a simple main room with a rectangular wooden table. The legs are sturdy, skillfully carved. Contrary to the Zenith, this priest doesn’t seem to be alone. Sitting around the table, looking up at Vex as she enters, are two individuals.

With her bow strapped to her back and her muddy boots, Vex initially felt like a sore thumb in these holy places. But when her eyes fall on one of the people in this room, she suddenly feels much better about herself.

Across the table from the entrance is a goliath. Vex has never talked to one, or been so close really. She knew there were a few working for the TWC, but none that she actually met. She’s seen a couple in passing.

They must be at least seven feet tall, skin grey and heavily tattooed all over their back and bald head. A giant axe, fit for their hand, rests against the table by their left side. By their right is sitting the other figure. Next to the goliath, this gnome looks even smaller.

Their skin is a strange purple, almost brown, their hair black with a dark purple streak. It’s a charming thing really. The difference between these two is almost comical. Vex is immediately interested.

“This young ranger seems to have picked up a fiend in the forest,” the priest says.

The goliath looks up in interest. “Do you want us to go smash it for you?”

Vex chuckles lightly. “Actually yes,” she points out. “Do you have divine gifts?”

The gnome next to the goliath laughs out lightly, looking over at their companion. “Oh, that’s funny!” Their voice is high and unbelievably sweet. Vex finds herself softening a little towards them, for no reason outside of that laugh and that voice.

“I don’t,” the goliath shrugs. “I mostly can smash things. But she’s got all the divine shit you want,” they gesture towards the gnome.

“My name is Pike Trickfoot,” the gnome introduces themselves, nodding. “I’m a cleric of the Everlight, Sarenrae. And this is Grog Strongjaw.”

Oh that is definitely what Vex needs. The Everlight is a goddess of redemption and healing and that’s absolutely the energy needed to combat a fiend and save an enthralled half-elf. It’s hard enough to charm those of elven blood, so the fiend is either powerful or very lucky. Or both. Let’s not hope for that, though.

“Vex’ahlia, ranger of the Tal’Dorei Wilderness Conservation program, stationed in the Alabaster Sierra's outpost,” she introduces herself machinally. “So you’d be willing to help?”

She’s maybe a little too business-minded, but she’s just… tired, and worried about this druid out there all alone and probably in dangerous situations.

“I would need a couple of days of preparation and some more information, but I can probably do something, yes,” the gnome, Pike, replies.

“I sensed them on the western edge of the stone platform Castle Whitestone stands on,” Vex starts explaining. “It’s reachable through a path, but it does require quite the bit of walking.”

The priest, who has been silent for a few moments, shifts, clearing their throat.

“We’re up for walking,” Pike smiles. Grog nods. They seem to be working as a pair. “In two days at dawn? If that works for you.”

It sounds almost too good to be true. She still doesn’t know the name of the priest whose temple she’s come into, but their guests are planning to help her with the fiend. After Father Reynal’s pushback, she was really not expecting much from the Lady’s Chamber.

“That works,” Vex nods. “We will meet at the mouth of the path? If you have a phone number, I could give you the map to it?”

They exchange numbers, the gnome writing out ‘Pike Trickfoot’ with a sparkle emoji as her contact. Vex just puts herself in as Ranger Vex’ahlia. Simple and to the point, she doesn’t know this sunshine of a person. She’s not going to have little personal things in there.

The priest next to them clears their throat again. Vex sends them a look. They seem to be nervous about something. They’ve now cleared their throat many times. They’re either sick or they are uncomfortable. Or, third option, they’re trying to make the gnome and the goliath notice something. Vex’ eyes narrow.

Pike smiles, looking at Vex with a warm glint to her eyes. “I do hope this will be easy work and that we will not risk too much. But we never know, with these things. Keeper Yennen has seen enough of these in his days, haven’t you?” She asks the priest who sighs.

“We’re divine servants,” he says heavily. “All our paths are eventually called to cross with a fiend’s. It comes with the faith, unfortunately.”

Vex keeps watching him. There’s something uneasy about this situation. Pike seems to be referring to something the priest does not want to discuss. Yet another untold horror. This town holds one at every corner. Everywhere Vex looks, she can see one.

“You should leave now,” Keeper Yennen nods.

This feels like déjà vu. Because it is. Once again, Vex is shoved away from a conversation, from knowledge. Once again, she politely takes the cue and leaves. She’s starting to get a little tired of it.

She hopes that, in a couple of days, she can ask Pike a couple of questions about this place.

On her way out of the courtyard surrounding the Lady’s Chamber, someone bumps hard into Vex’s shoulder. She’s seen them coming, with their long blue coat and their brown boots, but she really thought there was space for them to cross without bumping. She curses at the sudden ache that radiates into her arm and chest and whips around.

“I’m sorry!” The person she’s just bumped into says, their right hand raising to rub over their left shoulder, while Vex is rubbing her right one. They seem younger than Vex, about eighteen years old. It’s hard to tell really, with this world they all live in, this world where everyone ages differently at different rates. They seem human, but they could very much be eight hundred years old.

They’re familiar in the same way Father Reynal was. Which makes sense, because Vex saw them at the same place, at the same time, she realizes immediately.

They’re about the same size and stature as Vex is. Their hair is dark brown, almost black, but streaking with white around the temples. They had been standing in front of the Zenith, speaking with Father Reynal, when Vex drove by after her very first supply run.

“It’s all fine,” Vex shrugs.

“Have a good day!” They call out as they rush towards the Lady’s Chamber.

Vex raises an eyebrow at the retreating figure. Two temples at once? Or maybe a new convert of Erathis. Father Reynal did say the worship of Pelor has dwindled in this town.

Everyone she has met in this town, except for the gnome and the goliath, has a strange nervous energy about them. They all seem to struggle with hiding secrets, as if the skeletons are too big to fit in the closets they try to force them in. The truth, or at least the story, of what has happened in Whitestone in the past few years is eager to jump out and reveal itself.

Vex wants to know. After today, there’s no doubt about it. She wants to know about this fiend and about Castle Whitestone. About what happened to the De Rolos and why they’re gone. About the empty temples and the half dead tree in the center of town.

She guesses it’s a little rich of her to want to know and stop people from lying to her, when she’s herself running from the past and refuses to tell anyone her own last name. When she’s trying to hide her own past from herself.

She drives back home quietly, without the radio on. She lets her own thoughts be loud for once, no matter how uncomfortable it is to hear her own self-reflection, to discuss her past and future with this horrible nagging thing that is her own mind.

The sun is setting over the trees, she has a cub to take care of, and she wants to rest. She wants to light a fire, make some coffee and settle by the warmth with the cub napping on her feet.

The loneliness is getting more than bearable, it’s getting enjoyable. She loves the quiet of her cabin in the evenings, when she hears that lone wolf cry out. She’s never heard any other wolf respond to it. Poor creature. She can relate to what it must be feeling.

She does all as planned, gathers her things and makes her fire and settles with a blanket. She brushes out her hair. It’s growing more than it used to. It had fallen a lot when she was in Shademurk Bog, especially in the last couple of months, when it had gotten unbearable. It’s growing again now. She’s growing again.

Right as she’s about to fall asleep, the wolf cries. And to her great surprise, a second cry answers it. She goes to sleep with a smile on her face, and the cub snuggled against her chest. She stopped making him sleep in the crate some time ago.

Vex awakes to a chill and misty forest morning. She sees the fog wrap around the trees. The ones around the cabin are a little thinner, a little younger. The forest itself gets thinner around civilisation, as if to protect its oldest, most precious mysteries with barriers upon barriers of younger fodder.

She’s halfway through her breakfast when the talkie-walkie hisses with an incoming call. The thing that’s not supposed to work, because the other half of the pair of walkies was lost with the previous ranger.

“Hello? Hello, is there anyone here?”

The voice seems a little anxious, a little hurried. Something’s wrong. Vex bolts from her chair and rushes to the dust-covered walkie.

“Ranger Vex’ahlia, speaking. Can you tell me what’s happening?” She asks, forcing her voice to stay calm and soothing.

“Yeah, huh, hi, huh,” the voice continues. “We found this and a body? In the middle of a clearing?”

A body? Vex’s heart freezes in her chest and she forces herself to swallow. She’s trained for this. She needs to call in the local authorities, which she knows to be the Pale Guard. She grabs her phone from her pocket without thinking, ready to dial as she walks.

“Can you tell me where you are?” She responds. “There should be a trail marker within a hundred yards of you, if you haven’t strayed too far from the path. I’ll be there asap.”

The walkie goes quiet then, and she waits with bated breath for the person to contact her back with a position. It takes a few horrible frozen minutes for the receiver to crackle again, and she’s given the coordinates.

“I’ll be there asap,” she repeats. ”I will be contacting the authorities too, so do not be surprised if members of the Pale Guard arrive as well.”

“Okay, thank you,” the voice replies.

Vex volts back, dialing the Pale Guard emergency number that gets her directly to someone without going through any helplines. She slides the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she straps her quiver to her thigh and grabs her bow. She puts her coat on and walks into the foggy morning.

It takes her about forty-five minutes to get to the trail marker she was given. She follows instructions and finds the camp of the person that contacted her quickly. A fire is lit in the center of an encampment of three small orange tents. She notices a crossbow resting against one of the tents’ sides.

“Hello? I’m the ranger you had on the walkie,” she calls out.

Three figures come out of the tent with the crossbow. They’re tall, two humans and a dwarf. One of the humans, tall with blonde hair, has a smaller version of a quiver strapped to their thigh.

The dwarf’s right hand is gloved, and in the glove, they hold the walkie. It’s dirty, with dark stains that Vex already knows is blood.

“Thank you for coming,” one of the humans says.

“I’m doing my job,” she replies. “Now show me the body.”

They take her a little bit further from the camp. The body is half-sat against a tree. The right side of it is burnt to a crisp and the left is wracked by large claw marks. The blood that burst from those wounds has long dried on the intact clothing.

There’s no way Vex can recognize them by looking at their face, half is charred and the other is almost fully melted from the heat, frozen now into a horrifying grimace. No wonder those who found the body sounded so tense on the walkie.

Her eyes fall on the insignia on the mostly intact part of the clothing. She swallows. It’s a triangular shape, of a burnt orange color, with the silhouette of Tal’Dorei in dark green over it. The letters TWC are written in white over the continent. Vex wears the insignia’s twin on her coat.

It’s Regae. It has to be. She doesn’t know of any other people from the TWC in the area, and the body isn’t old enough to be a previous ranger. Regae had been there for fifty years when he disappeared.

She takes a deep breath. “Alright,” she nods. “Thank you for calling me in. The Pale Guard will be here shortly to identify what has happened there.”

The human with the small quiver now has their crossbow in hand, ready to go. Machinally, Vex searches for the crossbow bolts and what they look like. She did make a promise, however unspoken, to the cub, after all.

Her sight falls on the ends of the crossbow bolts, the fletching. The pattern is immediately familiar. It’s the same one as the one she had to pull out of her sleeping cub. Her eyes narrow at the human.

“May I have your name, please?” She asks, trying to keep the anger from her voice. It seems to work, as the human doesn’t look as suspicious as he would have otherwise. She takes an arrow out of her quiver.

“Donavan Clarence,” the human nods.

“I see you enjoy hunting, Donovan,” Vex gestures towards the crossbow. “What kind of game are you after? Are you more of a pheasant type, or do you go after bigger prey? Let’s say, bears for example.”

Her voice is cold as ice now, her hand on her bow, ready to notch the arrow, draw back, and shoot.

The human stares at her intensely. “Why are you asking?” They growl.

“Maybe because it’s my fucking job to keep the innocent creatures of this forest safe from criminals like you,” she shrugs, and draws her bow.

She’s incredibly close to them, and if she shoots, it will hurt. They both know it. She hopes the Pale Guard isn’t far. By killing the mother of the cub, Donovan Clarence has committed a crime. National Parks protect the creatures they watch.

The human looks at her, full of contempt. “You have no idea what you’re doing, half-elf,” they hiss. Their hand drifts to the bolts and Vex’ hand loosens.

The arrow shoots through the hair and goes straight through the palm of the human. They scream in surprised pain. Blood gushes out of the wound and starts streaming down their hand and arm, soaking their sleeve.

Around them, the two others get their swords out, ready to defend their friend. Vex swallows. Okay, maybe she jumped into this one a little too early. With lightning-fast motions, she notches another arrow into the bow.

“You have no right to hurt the creatures of this park,” Vex continues. “The only person allowed to deal with threats in here is me.”

“It was a last minute situation, ser!” The other human tries, but their voice falters with hesitation and Vex knows they’re lying.

The cold eyes of Donovan Clarence and their total lack of remorse is enough to see clearly through this conversation. They had fun killing an innocent bear and trying to kill its cub as well. It was pure cruelty.

“The Pale Guard is on its way,” Vex reminds, taking a step back to encompass all of them in her line of sight. “You have no choice but to surrender. The one who killed the bear, if they’re not the same as Ser Clarence, will probably be arrested for poaching.”

She can see them start to shift uncomfortably. They’re calm for now, but this is not going to continue to be calm if it goes on much longer. Her bow is drawn again.

They stay like this, waiting for one of them to make a move, for what feels like an hour. It’s probably close to a couple of seconds before there’s noise coming from the path and a loud shout of “Pale Guard, put your weapons down!”.

Vex exhales. Thank the Gods for this. She knows she wouldn’t have been able to take down three people. They may not look strong enough to match her one-on-one, but this would have been three-on-one. She wouldn’t have come out of there looking good, if at all.

She gets to explain her point and the Pale Guard believes her. She’ll have to answer more questions in town, but they know what her job is, and she introduced herself when she first arrived. It also seems like Donovan Clarence has been suspected to be a criminal hunter for a long time. They’re just finally able to get some proof of it.

As Clarence and their buddies are taken away, Vex’ attention is violently brought back to the very dead body of the previous ranger. One of the members of the Pale Guard there is now crouched by the body, running spells over it to try and determine cause and date of death.

They get back up and walk back to where Vex is standing, arms crossed, looking quite worried.

“We’ve found traces of fiendish magic on the burnt side of this body,” they explain. “You have a fiend on your hands, ser.”

Vex sighs. “Thank you,” she nods. “I sensed a fiendish presence around Castle Whitestone yesterday.”

The guard looks around. “We’re quite far from the Castle Whitestone, in a completely different direction.”

That’s true, but she’s pretty sure the range of her trance would be enough to find a fiend around this area. “How long have they been dead?”

There’s more looking around and more thoughtful pondering airs on the guard’s face. They’re writing things absent-mindedly on a red-covered notepad.

“With the weather here and all… I would say about four months.”

Four months? That means there’s been a fiend around the forest for at least that long. Vex prays to anyone that can hear that Regae hadn’t been investigating other deaths from the same creature when they found it.

“Would the Pale Guard be able to lend me a couple of people to help defeat the fiend?” Vex asks after a moment.

The guard stares at her. “The Pale Guard isn’t trained to hunt creatures in the Parchwood Timberlands, ser.”

“It’s ma’am,” Vex specifies more out of habit than anything else. “Then who is trained to do that?”

They tense slightly, closing up their little notepad and shoving their hands in their pockets. “That would be the Grey Hunt, ma’am, but they haven’t really been around since…”

Has she stumbled upon another one of those untold stories, again? How many fucking mysteries are there in this godsforsaken town?

“Since what? I’m new here, I don’t know anything about the local history,” she snaps.

“Since the De Rolo massacre.”

Almost immediately after that, their superior calls for the guard she’s been talking to and they’re delighted to escape. Vex curses at the retreating back of the humanoid and stomps one foot in the soft floor of the forest.

The De Rolo massacre. What the fuck happened in this city? Why won’t anyone tell her about it? She can feel her own frustration growing in her chest. She wishes she was a black dragon, so she could spit out that angry acid.

After that, none of the guards seem to want to talk much to her. They pack up the body of Regae to bring it to their lab and verify the readings of the initial spells, and only nod at her goodbye.

She’s left alone in the clearing, with fire burnt out and the tents still fixed into the ground.