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ARN ARMUNDSON

Prompt from: @oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

~ Ritual

"Are you Ulgrim, the god of Mountains?" Even if you did not perform a great hunt yet, could the god have noticed your fight with the Underfolk? Was this your chance to prove yourself? To be of help to your mother? No longer be a mere burden?

You only further prove my point as to why I do not lower myself to the likes of you. Insulting me, is not doing you any favours. 

If its not the god of mountains you are speaking to, then who is it?

You see the little beetle turn towards the shining light in your hand, it wiggles its legs and tentacles wildly and exasperated now, as if chastising this… god?

Well, fine. That will be the last favour I will do for you, Bramble. Will you waste it for a mere human?

The beetle gives a small assertive nod.

Then let me introduce myself to you, human. It spat the last word and you doubt this will be a pleasant conversation, I am the god of Nothing, I am everywhere and nowhere, I am everything and I am nothing. Is that clear for you now?

You look at it for a moment, never have you heard of the god of Nothing before. What do they do?

As if sensing your questions, you saw the light flicker in annoyance, before it continued.

I am the wind surrounding you, tingling your skin, yet you cannot see me. I am the father of all the crawling insects you know and do not know about. I don't care what my siblings are spending their time on and I do not care for mortal affairs. They are petty at the least.

I do not have a name but the one my creatures give me from time to time and I do not have an appearance, because I see no need to be perceived. The insects know I am there without using their eyes. Humans do not, but I won't do you more than this. Speaking to you is already more than I would do for your kind.

"I-" you are speechless, a god of insects hating humans and they speak to you because of a favour from a Rose Chafer. Perhaps you were never meant for the god of mountains, perhaps this meeting was not by chance, but by Fate. "Can you hide from the Underfolk? If you are nothing, can you be invisible to other humans as well?"

The light flickers, a scoff. I just told you that I showed myself for your pity's sake alone. You wouldn't have even known of my presence otherwise. 

"And the Underfolk? Can you hide from them too?" You sat up, now eager to question this being in front of you.

It did not answer right away, instead it floated to the side, a little further away from you.

You felt the beetle tickle in your hand as it spoke to his god.

I am not-! The god snapped at Bramble, before taking a moment to calm down, You have a lot of questions, human. I promised Bramble to help you, but not to answer all your foolish thoughts.

Well, at least you know they could hide you from the humans hunting you and when you are bound to a god in any form, you could deal with the Underfolk yourself too. You could help your mother, you could have her stay.

"Then be my god! Let me perform the ritual and choose you."

The light stood still, no words were echoing through the forest, no rustling of the leaves ahead - no wind. You almost feared it would leave, so you lift the little beetle still in your hand and spoke to them:

"Bramble, tell them if they want to help me, they need to accept me in the ritual. I am of age, all I need is for them to say yes too."

The beetle tippled along your hand, a moment of hesitation as well, before they turned towards the glowing light standing still in front of you. At least you can read the beetle's reaction.

It spoke, you couldn't understand it, then the light prickled as an answer, but you did not hear it speak. Bramble spoke again, inching closer to the edge of your outstretched hand.

Then the light poofed and disappeared. You felt your heart sink, seeing your only chance gone.

"Where did they go? Did they agree?" You frantically look around, not yet giving up hope. It doesn't have to mean anything.

You watch Bramble stomp his little feet, he too seems displeased with his god, but then he pushes himself upwards and with a loud buzzing noise, sours into the air.

Fearing he is going to leave you too, you instantly spring to your feet. As you jog after the green shimmering beetle, you wonder where your mother was. What will she think when she returns and finds your shelter shattered? You shouldn't roam too far, or she might not find you, but you can't let this chance pass by either.

Making up your mind, you steer your eyes upwards, following the shimmer of Bramble, determined to not let him out of your sight. You will have this god as yours and do as any young boy your age should do - fulfill the ritual. [ ~ 893 words ]

RALOF REILIFSON

Prompt from @oc-tober2023

[ I am not following the same order ]

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~ Fun

"They seem important. Are they our trainer?"

Merko, the young recruit next to him, shook his head, "That's the new Sovereign. You remember the tournament held in the city? No one expected it, but they were the one competitor that won the throne. People call them the foreign scholar."

"Don't they live in the castle?" Ralof asks, confused.

Merko laughs: "That doesn't mean they can't leave. Despite, if we become guards, we'll be under their command. I guess they just want to inspect the new recruits. Get a better picture to decide who is worth coming back."

"Oh, so they will decide who can come back?" Ralof stands straighter, trying to catch the Sovereign's attention with a wave of his hand, "I could ask them, tell them of our ambitions and maybe get a good word in for the three of us."

"Are you mad!" Merko pulls him back, making him stumble. "You don't just go and approach someone like them!"

"Why not?" Ralof frowns.

"You have to be careful with whose attention you grab. I heard they are a real snob, just look at all the jewelry. They think themselves better than us and I don't want to know what they'd do with your enthusiasm. Better to stay down, friend."

"Merko's right." It was Salek that joined them, a close friend of Merkos, all three seemingly the only ones here today coming from the lower districts, "I heard they even yelled at the merchant's guild for making their floor dirty. Made them run back out with their tails between their legs. The scholar is daring and cunning and they don't understand no fun."

Ralof frowns. "That sounds stressful."

Merko laughs, clapping Ralof on the back. "Don't break your head over it. Trust me, they don't care one bit about us either."

Ralof couldn't quite believe that. After all, they were training to become their guards, they must care about that. Otherwise, why would they be here?

He takes another look up to the walls, the Sovereign stands tall, hands clasped behind their back, speaking with the older man, their Commander, beside them. They did not smile once and maybe Salek was right. They hadn't had any fun in awhile, hadn't smiled in a long time. Ralof wondered how anyone could want to live like that. He's certain that it can't be by choice.

"Hurry, Ralof." Merko shouted, snapping Ralof out of it only to realise that everyone was gathering to line up. Damn, he was late again.

"Coming!" He ran as fast as he could, seeing Merko and Salek have saved him a spot next to them.

[ ~ 400 words ]

As a blacksmith he was used to only working with his dad and at times alone too, but he had to admit, training together was already alot of fun. If working together would be the same, he might have just found his callig. If he makes it into the recruitment that is.

He looks up one last time and noticed the Sovereign was watching them now. As if they were feeling his gaze on them, their eyes meet and with a kind smile and a little wave of his hand, Ralof greeted them. No smile from the Sovereign however. Then the Commander roared for their attention and Ralof had to look away.

There it is!! Go have a read everyone.

Glad to be working on another great project with such an amazing author <3

itch.io

Beyond The Mist: Beginnings (Demo) by Intimidating Puffin Studios

A visual novel/interactive fiction game set in a world of magic, horror, and intrigue!

You are a young adult adrift in life, suffocating under the yolk of your oppressive parents. Feeling out of sync with the rest of the world, you yearn for freedom and life beyond the bounds of your prison.

You find it in the form of a ravishing stranger and a long lost city, calling out to you across space and time. Something is beckoning underneath the ancient city's glimmering white tiles, something old and powerful. Someone.

Will you resist the call beyond the veil and the promise of belonging it brings, or will you let yourself go and embrace the path destiny has set before you?

The choice is yours. Magnustor is waiting for you.

Features

2 romance options that can either be male or female (player can choose the gender of both).

3 different romance routes; 2 monogamous ones or 1 polyamorous one  (a triad between the player and both romance options).

Romance and customization focused narrative; you can play as straight, gay, or bi and as cisgender, transgender, or nonbinary.

(4?) different endings.

Set in the same universe as The Soul Stone War.

Credits:

Filopay Illustrations for all art  @filopay

Feniks for Inline Conditions

~*~

The Ren'Py demo is live, folks!!!!

I'M SO EXCITED! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK, AND SPREAD THE WORD IF YOU CAN~

THANK YOU!!

ELORA ESKILDOTTIR

thirty looking | she/her | 153 cm | Elf | Nord

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Many times you were spared, oh, I did my best Every night you would call for me with your steps I was trying to sleep I was trying to sleep for you Under perfection I woke As you protected your home Oh, I just kept getting stronger I did my best to control The growing unrest in my soul — Wolfie's Just Fine

Prompt from:@oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

CW: Drug use

~ Flashback

In a dusty corner, the sparse light barely makes the woman visible, buried beneath scrolls and books.

She slams another book closed, frustration eating at her every bone, while dark circles beneath her eyes seem to grow by the hour.

"Another dead end." She lets herself fall back into the chair, eying the scattered information in front of her. Nothing of value was found.

If only she would find an answer to her many questions, find a good lead to know how to continue. When frustration makes its way through, she starts to doubt her own decision. She chose this very topic of research, but perhaps it was never meant to be brought into the light. An answer never to be found.

She lifts her hand, pushing her sleeve up to reveal blackened veins running down towards her hand. It had been there ever since she was a child, she had read in the many books, that it was supposed to grow until it covers the whole of her body, but it had never changed. Not for her.

If only she could remember that day she got the black veins - but it was so long gone and she had been but a child.

Then by chance, her eyes landed on a detailed illustration in a book to her right. A mushroom, dried, used to clear one's mind. If she couldn't remember, perhaps that could force her memories.

"I need something very specific." Elora interrupted the cook. Her red flaming hair as passionate as her request.

"Don't you always." The cook didn't even look up from her work,"Found something interesting in your books?"

"It's research. Everything has the potential to be interesting, but only worth the goddesses' time, until I tested and studied it."

"What you need?"

"Dried mushrooms."

The cook lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "Just any mushroom or a specific one?"

"The one that will give me answers about my own mind." The woman explains, dark circles beneath her eyes.

"By the gods, you better be careful with stuff like that. It can smoke your brains out, I tell you." Then the cook sighed, "There is no stopping you, however. I know what you need. Follow my instructions and you might be fine."

"I'll take the risk."

"You Heralds are crazy."

The smoke made her face heat up, cold sweat trickling down her neck as slowly her mind started to swim.

She didn't notice it kicking in, or so she thought, but as she started to stand up, everything was spinning and she was smiling.

"How could you do this to us!"

She knew that voice.

"You only ever think about yourself, so selfish and unruly. Is it my fault you turned out to be such an ungrateful daughter?!"

She remembers that memory. It was the fifth pursuer her mother had send after her and Elora had refused his advances bluntly so. Again.

"I will miss you, Élie'rel." 

Her sister. She could never forget her voice.

"Don't ever change, no matter what anyone says. You will find your answers and surprise everyone. I am proud of you."

It was the last time she had seen her, had it already been too long to remember? 

She shook her head. Focus. She was here for answers, not to feel guilty.

Back then Eyrier Lay, the white Valley, was prosperous and lively. The grand elven city En'ayn Mun stood proud and beautiful, the eye piece of the whole area. Lush forests and fields covered the valley. It were merry times.

She remembers the smell of the baked goods sold in the streets, the softness of her bedsheets, the warm sun on her skin when she drank her favourite tea atop the balconies.

She could feel it now. Her mother was smiling at her, her face younger, carefree. Elora can't remember a time her mother had ever smiled in her life. It was a foreign sight.

Everything around her was bright, she couldn't make out the details, but she felt her mother take her hand, they started walking down a copple stone street. Then suddenly, the light vanished, it was suddenly utter cold, the sky was black and she thought that black snowflakes were falling from the sky. Ash?

Then screams, her mother grabbed her small frame, hefted her up into her arms. Elora didn't see them coming, but she knew they were there.

Her mother only stopped when they reached their home. She locked the door, before asking Elora questions, she couldn't make out anymore. Perhaps even back then, she didn't understand them.

Then suddenly her mother was ripped from her view, she looked around, but her house was foggy, she couldn't clearly see. It was like a dream, no a nightmare.

"Mother!" She shouted, her small heart beating wildly in her chest. Then something gripped her wrist, tightly, she cried out by the pain, it was painfully cold, it was freezing her arm solid.

Then it let go and everything went dark, as she sunk to the ground of the library.

Prompt from:@oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

~ Education

Sael is teaching the others about stars. (Only an Image for a change)

RALOF REILIFSON

Thirty | he/him | 182 cm | Human | Nord

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken Remember the pact of our youth Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping Since there is no me without you — Gang of Youths

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Prompt from:@oc-tober2023 [ I am not following the same order ]

~ Found Family

Chirp, chirp.

Ralof was awake even before the birds had sung their first tune. The floorboards creaked as he quickly reached the end of his small room, throwing a simple shirt and trousers on. The bed groaned as he sat back down to squeeze his feet into his way too small shoes. It was a simple life, but he did not mind, because looking up, hanging on the loose nail opposite of him, was his leather armour.

Reaching for it, he drew a tentative hand over the fabric, it too wasn't much, worn and a little too small for his broad frame, but it was his and he is going to wear it with pride.

Running down the stairs, he was now fully dressed, passing by the kitchen, he already saw his father prepare some breakfast.

"Morning, dad. You're early." He noticed, as he pressed himself next to his father to steal a stale slice of bread, biting into it.

"You won't leave the house without a proper breakfast." His father chastises, making Ralof halt in his quick escape, "And you need to take something with you for lunch."

He held out a small package, the breakfast he had been preparing all wrapped up in a clean cotton cloth.

"You got up this early to make me these?" Ralof was touched, usually his dad was more than grumpy about his sleep.

"I was awake anyway. Couldn't sleep. So I made use of my time." He deflects and it draws a smile on Ralofs lips.

"I couldn't sleep either, so I thought I will get there early." He gently takes the package from his fathers outstretched hand.

"Thank you." He leans forward to give his father a kiss on the cheek. "I'll tell you everything tonight."

"May Fate favour you today."

Ralof was out of the door with a light skip to his step. The air was stuffy and it had recently rained, making the path muddy and dirty but he did not mind. It was his home and he liked it here very much.

"Good morning, Ralof." He looked up, seeing his elderly neighbour throw the night pot out the window, "You're early today."

"It's the first day at my new job!" He shouted back so she would hear him.

"A new job? I thought you would take over your father's smithy. How strange."

"As of today, I am a recruit guarding the outer Walls, so if you have any concerns regarding your safety, I can be of help." He pushes his chest forward, presenting his new leather armour.

"Oh, my door has been giving me troubles lately. I fear it will fall off its hinges soon. You father had crafted them for me when he was learning under your grandfather. If you could take a look before it falls open? I am afraid of having to life without a door in these dark times."

He could surely spare the time.

"I can take a look, no problem."

She smiles brightly. "You are a darling. Thank you, Ralof."

It turned out, the hinges were just slightly loose and he walked back home to get the right tool to fix it. Then she invited him for a small cup of tea, when she took out the baked loaves, he declined and instead took them with him as she insisted on repaying him.

Now, no longer as early as he was, he resumed his walk towards the outer walls of the fortress, his little lunch package, a little fuller.

His path had him walk straight through the daily market. He liked the market very much, so many different foods and items to look at and people that came from all around Aestricca just to sell their things here. The stories he had heard them tell, always captivated him, but at the end of the day, he was still glad to be where he was.

"Ooh, look at you all dressed up." He stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. Turning around he saw a young woman with a headband wrapped around her head, standing behind a small stall selling vegetables. She was the daughter of one of the farmers living outside the walls.

He instantly stood a little taller, showing off his new armour. "I am on my way to my very first day."

"Never thought you would be the one joining the other side. Be careful not to forget us little folk here when it gets to your head." She quips, pushing her chin out.

"It's only a trial today, but I'm sure I will be taken in as a recruit. I do it because I want to help us here afterall. If there are any concerns for your safety, you can let me know. It's my job now."

She chuckles. "Careful not to say that too loud while wearing that armour. Someme might take it you feel the fortress is not a safe place to be."

He frowns. "But thats why we have the guards, to make it safe."

"All I'm saying is, that this armour gives you authority. All kinds of people will turn to you just because of ehat you wear. Use that power wisely. Saying the wrong thing to the wrong person can get you easily killed and not all take kindly to the guards."

Ralof was quiet for a moment, stunned she would think so. He had never been very good at reading situations, at least that's what he'd been told. His father always said, he better stay away from jobs that require smarts. Politics make too much troubles, and do something with his hands. He was no longer a blacksmith apprentice but is being a guard so different?

"I didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to give you a proper warning, in case no one did. I'm sure you do fine though, you've always been enganging with the community anyway, if anyone, you will give the position a better name. You're one of the good ones, Ralof."

"I dont think there are bad guards." He shakes his head, "They follow a code, you know. I had to learn it too, the preservation of the community comes first. We need to act for the greater good. That's what I intend to do. Help people."

She gave him a weak smile. "Sure you will do great."

He nods, no doubt he will, he wasnt sure why she was so worried. Why everyone seems to want to warn him. First his dad, now her too. Then he gets it. They were afraid he'd be too busy for them. "I will still be able to help you out with setting up the stall. Don't fret, I might be more busy than usual, but I will be here if you have to carry a prized pumpkin again."

She laughs at that, "You almost dropped it last year insisting on carrying it all on your own. I'm not sure I will entrust my prized pumpkin to you again." She winks at him.

"But I will be training harder than ever now. So give me the biggest pumpkin you have and you'll see I will carry it for you with ease." He grins and she matches it easily.

"I will hold you up to that. Now I think you should be on your way. The sun is already rising above the walls." She points into the distance, where the high stone walls of the fortress loom over them all. "Dont think you want to be late to your first day."

"By the gods! I forgot the time. Let me know about the pumpkin!" He shouted the last words, already jogging down the street, dodging shoppers and merchants alike as he easily navigates through the masses of people.

A few more greet him, call him by name, but he excused himself, not having the time to stop and chat this time. He liked this city. Many speak bad about the lower district of Skaeld but he wouldn't be anywhere else. It's where he grew up, it's where everyone knew him, everyone was family to him, if blood or not. Here he would always stay and being a guard won't change that.

He had found his home, his family and choose to keep and support it as one should.

[ ~ 1.387 words ]