#forgottenmun writes

[glitcheddetermination-blog]

Forgottenmun’s notes: Just a passage about an AU that’s been stuck in my head for a while now. Unrelated to undertale. Not sure if I’ll do anything with this. Given the content though, feels appropriate to put here.

The gates out of the system had been broken; the barriers had been lifted, but not by choice. Macha broke them herself. No longer the small cat non-player character, she had taken up her Phase form. She needed that shape now. In her arms, she carried her white garbed sister. Or was the child her daughter? Macha grimaced. It might have been a minor detail in the wide view of things, but minor inconsistencies like that continuously nagged her background processes to resolve them. She couldn’t afford to be slowed down.

To slow down would let Morgana catch up. It would let her catch them.

As Macha fled, she kept striking behind her. Wide, sweeping slashes with her free hand, hurling data obscuring spikes to rupture the digital bridges she flew through.

She knew that she couldn’t run forever. As Morgana moved, the World moved with her. Outside of the World was safe, but Macha didn’t need to be omniscient to know that the World was spreading, taking over the systems she fled through, all in an attempt to catch them. One process considered what damage might be happening beyond the digital expanse. Macha set that process’s priority to low. There were more pressing concerns.

She had to protect Aura.

Where did that feeling come from? That was another question she didn’t know the answer to. Perhaps it was a sense that what Morgana was doing was wrong. Self preservation at its core, but still wrong. Morgana had grown colder over time, the warmth fading from her voice. As Morgana fragmented, she became less and less the person Macha knew. It was such a strange thing, to no longer know yourself. Although, Macha admitted, she and Morgana were not the same entity. She was a fragment of Morgana given form and function to be able to operate independently.

And independently she made the choice. Perhaps it was a poor one, but it was still hers.

She knew she couldn’t evade Morgana forever. Macha’s ploy was not to flee, but to hide. She just had to be out of Morgana’s awareness long enough to execute the plan.

But she had little time. As much as she needed to keep away from Morgana, Aura was not like her. Aura was undeveloped, she couldn’t stay outside the World. She needed Morgana still. Or did she?

As an AI exists and gathers data, it will hasten the birth of Aura.

That was what Lycoris had said. But no matter what Macha could conjecture, and even if she did find a solution outside of it, the World was their home. They belonged there.

Now, as an AI they were easy for Morgana to find. But, if they were aliased as Player Characters...

Perhaps that would enable them to hide in plain sight.

Data integration, combining a Player Character’s data template with their own... yes, perhaps that might work. No, it would work. She knew it. How could she be so certain?

Simply because she couldn’t afford otherwise.

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

Forgottenmun’s notes: Just a small gift because I don’t know when the picture will be finished. Also probably non-canon to Beliad’s timeline given that it’s a cross over. I just had an inspiration to do this. I haven’t played that game in a long time, but there were certain aspects of it that I liked. Also relevant bgm: Derelict

Shrieks echoed through the dark vessel as the creatures within were alerted to the presence of a stranger. 

“I don’t know why you wanted to come here of all places~ But don’t expect me to help if they try to eat you~” The demon chuckled, hidden in the stranger’s shadow.

The stranger did not reply, tracing long nails along one of the walls. A long time ago, it would have been pristine, a very pale marble bordered by gilded inlay and form. Now it was faded and bleak, just part of the consequences of being lost in Void. Who could know how long it had left, in a place where time did not exist.

She etched a message into the wall with her nail, I wanted to see where you were born. And investigate.

“Fair enough, but don’t say I didn’t warn you~”

Don’t underestimate me.

Extermination was an option, and had some level of appeal, but then it’d just leave the vessel empty to be claimed by others. No, the best thing to do was to salvage what could be salvaged, and leave. Let nature take its course unhindered, so to speak.

Concentrating energy to her right hand, she sent the lead to the ceiling, launching herself across the chasm in her way. Despite it being a vessel, the technology it held was mostly nonfunctional, and the chasms left by what would be hovering platforms were a potential danger, when the rampant growths didn’t provide some manner of path across. 

The first hostile she saw was a large, lumbering creature, idly tearing at one of the walls when it wasn’t looking around for the intruder. Within a moment, she had nocked an arrow to the bow she drew, and let it fly. There was little sound from the impact, but the force tore the creature’s head from the rest of its body.

“Of all the advanced weapons you could’ve had, you have a bow, a pistol, and a pair of hatchets~ Something doesn’t seem right about that~” Her companion observed, “A fancy bow, I’ll admit, but it’s still a bow~”

The stranger didn’t reply. Climbing up and over the railing, she sprinted forward, drawing her energy pistol instead. As she ran, she kept scanning her surroundings. Despite the few bits of beauty still left in some of the now overflowed fountains and overgrown trees, she was more focused in seeing if there was anything to recover. Of course, the native creatures had already looked at most things before she did.

Running without stopping to dissuade attackers might have allowed her to progress faster, but it did mean that she drew a lot of attention as she ran through the halls. Many small creatures were in pursuit, and caught up to her as she was busy checking each door she came across. These quadrupeds had strange shapes to them, but were advancing steadily.

“Hey, here’s a thought~ Why don’t you let me eat your soul instead? Would be a waste to let them eat it~” Beliad commented.

The stranger didn’t have time to reply, apart from a quick shake of her head, raising the pistol and firing. Despite the blasts sending a bunch of the creatures reeling, enough were closing distance with her, far too quickly for comfort. Claws swung at her as they charged, each one wanting the meal for themselves, but at least for now willing to work together to deal with this major threat.

The energy shield around her form shattered almost immediately, and claws and bite marks tore into her form. She didn’t bleed, but she was staggering under the assault. The creatures attacked with more vigor, even as another lumbering brute charged into the fray to try and steal the kill.

Clenching her fists, she threw back her head and roared, unfurling her hands into claws as energy wreathed around her form. Before the creatures had a chance to realize their error, her claws tore into their ranks, each swipe a malicious attack that made her even more frenzied as the battle progressed. Finally, the creatures that remained fled, scurrying back down the halls.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d almost guess you were one of us, with that much ferocity~” Beliad observed.

Who knows? I don’t.

With immediate pursuit dealt with and attackers given reason to be wary of trying again, she continued forward. The stranger’s search was not in vain, however, as she found an ornate door - a sealed chamber.

“Huh~ I had forgotten about that door. No one could get in~”

Reaching behind her back, the stranger visibly stretched as she unhooked an odd looking key. Walking up to the door, still glistening white compared to everything else, she checked the four recessions in its surface. Each marked a different key, but the one that was missing matched the one she carried.

Inside, an ornate statue appeared to be holding a sphere of energy between its hands. Without hesitation, she absorbed the energy into her form. All that was left was to leave, but before she did, she wrote on the wall.

Feeling any nostalgia for the place?

“Nah. Sure, kinda wonder if that succubus is still around somewhere, but the place itself? Nah, outside is better~”

It might not be here if you ever decide you wanted to see it again.

“I’m okay with that~ Thanks for bringing me though~ It was good to see it one more time. By the way, what was that thing you picked up anyway?”

Just a relic from a really long time ago. If I can find the vessels that weren’t breached by your kind, maybe the technology can be salvaged.

“Void ships, huh? I guess they’re good looking enough~ Think I could have one?”

I don’t think you could use one.

“That’s not answering the question~”

Maybe.

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

Forgottenmun’s notes: Just a meme response because I just had the flash of inspiration… @shattereddetermination still on hiatus cause a bit overloaded RL

“I did not help you for this!”

Corporeality meant that they could be attacked. She knew that. They both knew that. She never would have guessed that they would use it to defend a life.

Light spilled from the wound, even as she tried to seal the breach with her own magic. She held Beliad in her arms, supporting the serpentine figure as best she could.

“Hah~ Why did I even do that? Ugh, it hurts.”

The kitsune shook her head, “Just be still, I’ll try and-”

“Don’t hide it. We both know it was a fatal blow~”

The kitsune’s ears flattened against her head, but she grimaced, “That does not mean I’m going to just accept it.”

“Eh~ We know the shooter will try again if I survive~”

“We’ll deal with that then. This is now. And right now…” She closed her eyes, her thoughts racing as she went through every memory of her studies. Yet, that was applicable for treating monsters. Beliad was not a monster, at least not one of this world.

“Just, just tell me something~? I’ve… I’ve never understood why~”

“Your life experience is different from mine. You had your reasons to do things. Not even by your choice, or I don’t think so. I wanted to give you that choice.”

“Hah~ From someone else, I’d call them a liar. Nothing given for nothing~”

“I know,” The kitsune took a breath, “If you forget everything else, just try to remember it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“Kinda does~”

“Not if you’re not returned to Void,” The kitsune whispered.

She knew she had very little time, if she were to try and save both.

Gate of time, unlock here, Life and breath of the world around, Let essence be joined, Deliver the light to the flow of life, That they may return as part of it, Rebirth

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

Forgottenmun’s notes: You thought I was only going to make one, but nope, I made another, to match the sequence of events from the fox’s perspective in the second game generated by @shattereddetermination. Also thanks to @theseaofrainbowclouds for providing more information about the setting for me to make this maybe slightly more accurate. I apologize to other muns whose muses I have used that might not be entirely accurate because I am not entirely familiar with them. I did avoid putting too many words in other muse’s mouths. Cast includes: @anonekomata (Ano), @wanderandward (Wander and Ward), @dreamfulknight (Aislin), @chrono-lock (Dahlia), @ask-kibthetaguel (Kib), @sansationalcomic (Sans), @griminsnowdin (Grimmy) and of course Beliad. Also I hope I wrote Grim’s abilities right, even if I kept that scene pretty short.

The silence was too overwhelming, but the fox did not know what to say to her companion. Both had been selected for the games, but she had never seen the grey cat before, and her companion never spoke. According to their mentors, the cat's cuteness seemed to be winning over viewers, but in terms of skill, the grey cat did not seem to be bringing anything special, receiving a pretty low score from the judges. In comparison, the fox had received a decent score from the judges for her athleticism. She probably could have scored higher if she actually showcased her magic, but she was avoiding giving away too much of her capabilities. In the end, the fox barely knew anything about her companion, and that sit poorly with her.

“So, do you have a name?” She finally asked.

< あの > the cat wrote.

The fox tilted her head, baffled by the response, “That what?”

There was a pause before the cat wrote again, < This kitty isn't 'that', this kitty is あの. >

“You're saying the same thing. That and that.”

The grey cat didn't respond, but her head lowered and her shoulders seemed to shake, notepad and pen falling to the floor. Too late, the fox realized what must have happened.

“No, I'm wrong. Your name is yours, and I'm sorry I didn't hear it right. It's just a bit confusing because I recognize that word as something else,” She offered.

But the grey cat's eyes looked a lot colder than they had been, and the fox had no way to comfort her.

The fox averted her gaze, “I'm sorry.”

* * *

As the podiums made their way to the starting location proper, the fox's ears twiched at the sound of an explosion. It seemed as though one of the others tried to get a head start, which was very ill advised according to their mentors. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the grey cat grab a bottle and a napkin. There was no way to know what was going through that cat's mind.

She herself approached the piles of supplies, noticing Wander and Aislin also approaching. All of them cautious of the other, given the way they stayed alert.

“Okay, look,” The fox decided to speak, “Early on, our greatest danger will be the environment rather than each other. Let's just grab what we can, so we all have a fair chance at this thing. Deal?”

That seemed to satisfy both the amalgamate and the knight, and so they gathered things peacefully, parting ways once they exited the cornucopia.

Some time after noon, the fox was startled to hear a whirring approaching her, and her ears flicked towards the source as she looked up. It was an odd parachute drone, dropping off what seemed to be a small container of fruit. She bowed her head in thanks, before using her nose to push it into the bag she was dragging with her.

The cannon fire also startled her, but when she saw the list of people on the display, she was relieved to find that they weren't anyone she knew. Either way, it was time to prepare for the first night.

Strangely enough, she ended up in good company that first night, hearing lighthearted laughter she approached a shared camp.

“cmon kid, it ghost to be you”

“Sans that was terrible. No way I'm starting. I don't know many anyway,” the blue-tipped long-eared kid replied.

The human that was there held a hand over her mouth as she giggled at the two in front of her.

“What is it that you don't know?” The fox asked, making her presence known dragging her bag in with her.

“The skeleton here proposed ghost stories, for some bizarre reason,” The woman replied before the others.

“Well, you don't have the right number of people,” the fox replied, “it's customary for there to be four people when telling ghost stories, and for it to be summer, but well, I suppose the weather is good enough.”

Seeing as there was no real point in hostilities, she shared some of her supplies with the others as they settled.

“now see, theres this ghost that will sometimes lay on the ground,” Sans spoke when it was his turn.

“And…?”

“thats it, sometimes says z as though sleeping, but thats it,” Sans shrugged.

“Are you really that lazy?”

“yup”

“Okay, my turn then. Ahem,” The fox paused a moment as she thought, “There's a forest, not all that different from this one in how it looks. It's not that special, but it does have a very special place in it, a stone surrounded by blue flowers. When it rains, blue lights come from them and move into the treetops.”

“That sounds pretty.”

“It is, but here's the thing. The lights know when there's people around, and will follow them. It's said that the closer they are to you, the more you can hear a voice,” She elaborated.

“It's a spooky voice isn't it?”

“No, not really. It's been described as a girl's voice. Always saying the same thing,” She replied.

“What is it that's said?”

The fox tilted her head, “Why don't you ask her yourself? There's blue lights hovering right behind you.”

Immediately the three others whirled around in shock at the hovering lights, before they each disappeared.

“Wh-what was that?!”

The fox giggled uncontrollably, “I'm sorry, that was a bit rude, but that was me.”

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” The woman glared at the fox

“I am sorry, but I did feel the need to be a bit more proactive than our lazy friend here in the retelling,” the fox apologized, “It is a true story though. What she says is two words: take care.”

* * *

The second day was a lot worse for the fox. The day of Ano's death. Seeing the grey cat's face displayed on the sky gave the fire fox a chill. It felt as though she were partly responsible; the grey cat was essentially a pack mate, and was so… different because of what the fox had said.

Perhaps it was that guilt that drove her to ask Beliad to do what they both knew was something that was likely to happen.

“Hmm, no,” the demon replied.

“No?” The fox tilted her head, quite surprised by the insistence in Beliad's voice.

The demon shrugged, “Look, I'm normally not one to turn down a free soul for eating, but if I'm going to get yours, I'd rather find out how strong you actually are first. And this? This isn't you. Where's the hunt? Where's the thrill?”

“So your pal is dead. You're not. So do what you can, and if we do fight, don't hold back okay? I want it to be a good one.”

It was perhaps not the best advice in the world, but strangely enough, that was what the fox needed to hear at that moment.

“Yeah, you're right,” She nodded slowly.

The demon grinned, “Naturally.”

* * *

The next few days were uneventful, mostly the fox took the time to herself to strengthen her resolve. She was selected for the games, and that meant she had to last as long as she could for the sake of the pack back home, especially with Ano's death. So when it came that a suit of armour entered her area of the forest, she was very wary, and avoided him altogether.

The avoidance worked for another day, until she met someone she didn't expect.

Another fox, but humanoid as opposed to her current form.

Having regressed to instinct, she knew only one thing. This fox was not part of her pack.

Hackles raised and with a low growl, she rushed in for an attack. Sparks and botlecaps flew from each side as she and Grim circled around, dodging behind trees, always moving and never backing down. Between the fox's multicoloured glow and Grim's green aura, the battle was very visible, and any who saw it through the trees understandably did not interfere.

Yet, in the end, the fox was not the most skilled combatant. Grim was able to feint her by bottlecaps, and then deal a crippling blow with sickle in hand. As she lay there, on the ground watching the sky fade, she nodded to her adversary.

Good… fight.

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

Forgottenmun’s notes: Prompts taken from @shattereddetermination ‘s hunger games simulator. I looked at it, and it’s unfortunate that it doesn’t have some additional customizations like ‘nature’ to influence character actions, but otherwise can provide interesting prompts. I do have to apologize in advance however, because I know little of Wulfric’s characterization, so it’s quite probable that I don’t have it right, and I actually don’t know the source material all that well.

Being selected was particularly stressful for the fox. She was a healer, first and foremost, someone who treated injuries in the district regularly, and here she was, standing in the district 6 tribute’s room, alone. Well, no, she wasn’t alone, but she sure felt alone, with only the silence of her companion for company.

“So… you can’t make noise at all?” She asked.

The strange, grey cat shook her head in response, and the fox nodded slowly. That could actually be quite useful.

“Okay. I’ve seen how it goes a few times. Our priority is surviving as long as we can. If you can stockpile supplies without the others noticing, then that gives us stashes to utilize, making our movements not so easy to track,” The fox reasoned.

If she understood it right, how well they did also influenced how well things worked out for the people back home. She’d need to set aside her pacifist nature, for the sake of the pack.

Her eyes narrowed as she felt a strange satisfaction at reaching that conclusion.

* * *

Starting at the pinnacle, all teams in full view of each other, the fox could feel the tension. She looked to her left. The strange, grey cat’s face was unreadable, and she was starting to get accustomed to it.

Then the chaos began.

Glowing, white eyes quickly scanned the area. A different grey being moved quickly to the attack, striking at one of the other teammembers. As they discussed, the grey cat moved seemingly unnoticed, beginning to gather as much as she could carry. Many more sensible individuals simply fled the scene as quickly as they could. She saw Ayla and a human she didn’t know fighting over some supplies, and she saw… him.

Wulfric. That human that had won a previous game, and the one who had killed district 6′s tributes that game. A few people that she had known.

He saw her as well.

“Heh, did d6 run out of actual people for the games?” Wulfric snickered.

“No. This is just how selection went,” The fox replied, scanning the area even though she faced him. Without pupils, it made it easier for her to look around without it being visible, and her ears would give her warning if someone approached her. Her mind told her to run, but her instincts overpowered that sense. With everyone else distracted, she had to get the first strike in, or she’d lose that opportunity.

“You thinking of getting revenge?” He asked, idly tracing a hand along the spear he brought with him.

The fire of the fox audibly crackled, “No. I’m thinking about surviving,” She replied as her emblem’s faint blue glow was masked by her own blue colouration.

“Well, I have my eyes on you, fox.”

“If you were smart, you’d be less intent on focusing on only one thing,” She replied as her emblem shone brightly.

Wulfric immediately hefted his spear in preparation to defend or counter attack. Unfortunately for him, that was not where the attack was coming from. The trident that hovered under the fox’s power flew straight into Wulfric’s back with a sickening crunch. Her knowledge of human anatomy worked in her favour, as the prongs avoided his spine and ribs, striking the internal organs.

The kill gave the fox some strange sense of satisfaction, and she took the time to slip away into the forest. There she’d linger, familiar with forests, hiding and surviving.

The one time she was noticed, she also saw her pursuer at the same time. A guard from the look of it. She knew she’d have a lot more difficulty in a battle against someone with full plate, so she fled further back into the forest. Despite her colouration, she had an advantage with knowing the terrain, and the knight lost sight of her.

Unfortunately, all the foresight in the world of natural events couldn’t prepare her for unnatural circumstances. It was only when the tsunami crashed into the trees that she realized the danger, but it was too late for it to really matter. A tree trunk that had been shredded by the wave crashed into her as she tried to run.

After the wave, only a broken fairy doll caught in the bushes marked that she had been there.

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

Fallen

forgottenmun’s notes: I keep thinking about my muse’s experience with the monster and human war. Much of it I keep in my head, these small details and headcanons, seeing as there won’t be many who think about or are interested in something so far back compared to the present day as given by the game. The game only says that it happened, not what it was like. For the most part, that’s enough. Needless to say, this is only my take on those events, and is hardly a be all and end all to what could have happened. Also probably obvious, but this is a pretty heavy drabble.

The younger ones know of it as the war. 

Those that are old enough to remember know what it was called back then.

Massacre.

We are most damaged by intent. Ill will can poison our very bodies and being, turning us to dust. What has more intent to kill than an arrow? A sword, a shield, a polearm, all of those can be used to block, to defend. An arrow has one purpose - to pierce and wound. 

The first strikes were the most devastating. A torrent of arrows could turn a village into a lifeless and empty home. Those that had cover probably cut down by any footsoldiers that pursued. I never saw that, but by reports, I heard of it, or the results.

The city I studied at would’ve had the same fate if it weren’t for my sister. She set the sky ablaze; fireworks that were once for entertaining and parties became our shield. But even as she burned the arrows in flight, their metal tips could not be stopped. Directionless and without the feathers that kept their paths straight, most of them landed short of the city. Not all of them.

I still remember that whistling sound.

It still chills me to the core.

There was screaming. Yet, for all the panicked sounds people made, it meant they were alive. The guard stationed there helped begin the evacuation. I wonder how many made it with us. I wonder how many were left behind, or stayed, dissuade pursuers as best they could to give us the chance to reach the capital.

I tended to all that I could as we travelled to the capital. There, we were safe enough. Between all of those who had mastery of air or flame, including my sister, the capital was impervious to arrows.

Messengers went to the other cities, and villages, to try and warn them. Kohane was one of the messengers. I had to be prepared to help in the event of an attack, a reserve healer. My sister too had to stay, as one of the defenders. That left Kohane as the only one who could travel to our village in the mystical forest; she knew where it was. I never saw her again.

Each day we waited for more survivors to join us, or to hear of another place whose inhabitants were turned to dust.

Perhaps that was the other reason why the arrows were so useful to them. Arrows that struck and dusted could be recovered and reused.

The final attack happened during the day. No reason for them to risk the night hindering their own forces’ sight. Their arrows couldn’t pierce the flame barriers. Not this time.

Then the ground forces came.

That is the battle that people will recall, the Royal Guard and the human attackers. The battle where it seemed as though we might have had a chance.

But we didn’t. The battle was a diversion. Tomari… so focused on the sky that she never saw the human approach behind her. Many of the others met the same fate, dusted by some blade stabbed into their back.

The call to retreat, the call to surrender, it all came too late. Almost too late to matter. The arrows would have meant the end of so many more lives if we ran. Barricaded inside of the citadel, we could only wait for the attackers to break down the doors.

Or so it seemed.

The Royal Magician posed the possibility of teleporting some to the caverns nearby. Then the Magician could relay the surrender to the humans. The Royal Family refused. If people were to be saved, all survivors would be. Yet, to transport that many people was beyond their power alone. I and many of the other students gave the Magician what we had. Perhaps everything we had. We had to.

I was not awake for what happened after, but I heard about it after the fact.

The humans accepted the surrender, on condition that soul magic was never studied any more, and they would make the barrier to keep us away from them.

At least, that was the feeling at the time. After all these years though, I can’t help but think…

Perhaps the barrier was made to keep them away from us.

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

Forgottenmun notes: … this is just something I felt like writing, not related to anything else on this blog. But for any prospective reader, be warned that it’s not a happy story.

Tick Tick Tick

The key kept turning, the clicks echoing but ultimately lost amidst the sound of the internal gears of the clock tower. If the attackers had known that the true key was the one turning in the back of the caretaker, it surely would have been taken.

For a long time, only the key moved. Then the caretaker moved. From a distance the caretaker looked humanoid, and that was what startled the attackers. It checked over itself, inspecting the damages. Half of its head was broken from where the mace had struck, with cracks spreading across the remnants of the mask, and one eye shattered, throwing off its depth perception.

“Damage sustained.”

Of course, the synthetic message was useless when there was no one to repair the damage, but the caretaker dutifully reported it anyway. Yet, it served another purpose, indicating that audio out and one of the two audio inputs were still functional. Motor capabilities of the remainder of the body also seemed to be fine.

The first step was completed, the diagnostic of itself, and the next step was to check the state of the clock tower. Standing upright, it checked its location, the second floor. This floor held a gallery of looking glass windows along each of the eight walls. A quick glance indicated that all of them were smashed and non operational, with the lack of scenery visible through the dull panels.

“All second floor links broken.”

There was a rumour that the windows looked on to other realms, worlds, dimensions, and another that they could be turned into doors. Both were true, but breaking the window was not the way to do it. The caretaker descended the spiral staircase to set up the ‘Out of Order’ sign to leave proper notification.

It ascended the staircase to the third floor, and there the caretaker observed the eight cores. The clear panes that allowed vision into the cores were all cracked, but not broken, and the exterior of each core had superficial damage where there was an obvious attempt at forced opening. It went to each core, and confirmed each of the eight books were still intact and present.

“Third floor cores in poor but stable condition.”

It was a long climb to the fourth floor, where the clock tower’s key would have been held. It was an ornate key, a dark steel casing with gold inlay, supposedly hiding a terrible power inside. That rumour was not true. It was simply the key that the caretaker turned to keep the clock tower powered, and the main spring wound.

The caretaker knew what it needed to do. It had to keep the tower operational. Moving to one of the gear boxes embedded into the floor, it disconnected the gear from the main spring. This would allow the clocks on the outside to wind down, as would be expected if the key was removed. However, before taking the next step, it hesitated, one hand drawn over its shoulder. Something about what was needed did not seem right, but it was not supposed to question what was right. That was decided by its builder.

With the sound of grinding gears, it pulled its key out.

The key was very simple, a hollow club shape on a slender shaft, yet it sparked with raw energy arcing along the now free tip. Carefully, the caretaker placed the key into the dial, and stepped back. It had to trust that it would function properly, as that was all that it could do.

Then, it did not know what to do. 

It sat on the floor to reduce the strain on its internal gyroscopes and servos, letting its upper body lean against its knees. Conserve power. Power that would run out. It had no way to estimate how long it had left, and that made its priorities change. It had done what it could, and there was nothing left for it at the tower.

Returning to the third level, it tilted one of the panels in the floor up to access the space underneath it. The book hidden underneath it was open to the first page, with a picture that moved, showing a valley with a metal city. It was night there, but that was only visible from the dark sky above, the many street lights and more than a couple of neon signs visible even from this distance. It reached in with its free hand to touch the image.

The floorboard dropped with a clang as it disappeared.

[forgottenfairy-blog1]

-Fight me!- ((Probably a friendly spar with Tenko. Would instinct even attack Wander? ))

song ((video might be a bit loud. Also yes, I picked this one almost completely because of the ‘visions of light’ lyric. Other reason was the distortion-like effect to the song, which I think fits Wander and Ward’s style of battle. ))

"If you insist. It's true that one should be prepared to defend themselves."

(( Truthfully, there are a couple of situations where I could see Instinct attacking anyone. One in particular is if she was already badly wounded, at which point Instinct would perceive anyone who approached at that point as dangerous and you get the 'cornered animal' reaction. ))

As the amalgamate's magic started to shift the caverns around them, dizzying and confusing her eyes, she closed them. Then she felt it. Instincts focusing on her other senses, hearing and scent. She could hear the air parting to the rocks that Wander and Ward wielded.

Her emblem shone with violet light, and she placed her paws down decisively on the crystals that were part of the path. Purple beams of light shone from them, reflecting off of other crystals to snare the rocks in mid-flight. She could feel the ground shifting underneath her, and her emblem glowed blue as she released the stone projectiles. Before the small sinkhole was opened, she lept onto one of the earth columns being drawn upward from the ground around her, moving quickly with the blue magic to help accelerate herself.

Following the scent, she pounced. Only to find that she had ran headlong into a pile of stone with Wander's cloak wrapped around it. Dazed from the impact, she faltered in her step, but her emblem shone yellow, and the air began to feel different. If the amalgamate had hair, it probably would've started standing on end from the excessive charge.

Most of the incoming stones were caught in a chain of lightning, but one misdirected stone hit her in the head. Already dazed from her earlier impact, and having been avoiding sleep, she passed out. Except that she remained standing.

Many spells. Not ours. Not right. Instinct shows.

Flames wreathed around her form as Instinct took over. This was not right. Fight as pack, fight as many and as one. This was what Instinct knew. And so the flames spread from her, forming shapes of two other foxes. Not real, but it was more to make it feel right than anything else.

Instinct moved fast, very familiar with this shape. One fox approached from the left, the other circled around, before Instinct suddenly turned and leapt back, following the scent that moved behind her. With two pounces, the other foxes rushed forward, taking the stone projectiles and covering Instinct's own approach with their dissipating blue flames. She pounced Wander and Ward, knocking the amalgamate on to the ground from the suddenness of the pounce.

Instinct then rubbed her forehead against Wander and Ward's chest gently.

Later. Tell her. Use innate power more. Relies on other magic. Too much. Much other. Much thinking. Not doing. Not fighting. Dumb mind.

Instinct gave a soft sniff in disdain for her counterpart, before retrieving Wander and Ward's cloak for them.