#kaslay

[larissa-the-scribe]

Lenesse!

"Ah yes, magic. I was just thinking that my life was going too smoothly these past five minutes."

[larissa-the-scribe]

Left In Stitches

“I already told you that you can’t keep showing up here,” Tresha whispered to the air, blinking back tears, struggling to keep her hands from shaking as she threw together a salve from what little remained of their supplies. “For once would you listen to me?”

Andren and Esyin had volunteered to help. They were behind her, trying to help staunch the blood pouring from too many wounds.

There were too many injuries, too many people on the brink of death, more being brought in even hours after the battle had ended. Even someone in Lenesse’s condition only warranted a junior healer; the resources of the healers were spread distressingly thin. Under normal conditions, both Andren and Esyin should definitely be getting examined, but they were still mobile, still functional—their wounds were lower priority.

Scrubbing tears from her face with her sleeve, Tresha turned back to Lenesse with an amount of salve that seemed too little, too insignificant in the face of this. But it would have to do. Somehow.

She shouldered Esyin aside. “Could you start cleaning the needles? I’m going to need them for stitches.”

Esyin’s face was blank, more lost than she had seen him since he was a kid.

She pointed Andren to the wound on her shoulder, taking over to start cleaning the gash in Lenesse’s stomach. “Esyin, that means to burn them and wipe them off with one of the clothes in the corner. Those are the clean ones.”

Lenesse’s skin was scorching to the touch. Fever had already set in, and so had infection. Angry red streaks surrounded the swellings, mud and dirt still caked around them.

Part of Tresha hissed at her that, as a healer, she had a duty to others as well. She couldn’t afford to struggle this hard for a lost cause, not when so many other lives were at stake. She was being selfish, simply because she knew this person and not others.

A much larger part blocked that out, thinking of all the times Lenesse should have been dead before this point. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t at least try.

[larissa-the-scribe]

Andren

"So I see your brilliant plan to antagonize the world's most deadly warrior is working out well for all of us."

[larissa-the-scribe]

Heroes of Kaslay: Character List

Lenesse: attracts trouble like a black hole. Wants to make a difference in the world anyway.

Andren: There’s a terrible war going on. He’s going to protect his family through it or die trying.

Tresha: Pacifist, healer, the only one of the group with the Common Sense Braincell.

Esyin: A brilliant strategist, curious about everything. Tries to think his way out of everything.

Narin: Determined to prove that he doesn’t need as much protection as everyone thinks. Never runs out of jokes.

Sir Ralben: Acutely aware of the knife’s-edge their country walks on, and misses his old friend. Takes the idea of mentoring the younger generation very seriously.

King Zerzan: Knows he’s not good enough to pull off the victory Kaslay needs. But he’s going to keep trying anyway.

Lanshir: Arrogant, spiteful, fully believes he’s the only one who can properly lead Kaslay.

Shis: Cunning, selfish, just trying to ensure his own survival at the cost of everyone and everything else around him.

Argior: There’s probably a picture of him under the dictionary definition of “bully.” Likes power.

"Viv": Orphan kid trying to work her way off the streets and into a comfortable life. If slowly.

Sethol: Warm, open; try your best and he’ll help you as much as possible.

Fylon: Happy to have acquired a new friend and student. Now, to figure out what he’s supposed to be doing….

(Species: Byrlyk)

World: Kosmyldar, Raskarr. Country: Kaslay

[larissa-the-scribe]

We’ll Make it Out

Whumptober, Day 1

For more info on characters and setting, go here

1780ish words

It didn't take Lenesse’s brain too long to catch her up to speed, even as she was still opening her eyes. Bound, sprawled on an icy stone floor in the Nyrthyl stronghold, still damp, covered head-to-toe in foul-smelling swamp mud, as well as various cuts, scrapes, and bruises that stung like she’d been bathed in lemon juice. Where the bog-walker had bitten off a chunk of her flesh burned and ached, itching fiercely from dried blood, dried mud, and the rough-woven ropes pulled tight just below it. 

And before that: the panicked chase, running from Lanshir and his men. The border of the Nyr Swamp. Her brilliant idea that could maybe have given them a fighting chance — because of course no one would be stupid enough follow a quarry into a cursed swamp.

On the plus side, she had been right. No one had followed them.

On the down side, no one had needed to.

Considering the three different monster attacks in the space of five hours, the fog that got them instantly and hopelessly lost, the three-hour long limp along the bank of the one clear river in the swamp (their desperate thought being that maybe it flowed out of this Melsyth-forsaken hellscape), and the pathetic last stand they’d made against a band of magic-wielding Nyrthyl warriors — well, it was understandable why the Nyr Swamp had the (literally) accursed reputation it did.

And now we’re captured. Lenesse stared up at the faintly glowing stone ceiling. Makes sense. What else should I have been expecting? A way out? Something NOT terrible? At the very least one night of actual sleep? Well, that would be just… too much to ask for, I guess.

Esyin is probably flipping out even more now, what with the demon-spirit-things. I'm going to hear a lot of I-told-you-so's later, from both him and Andren.

Esyin. Andren.

Lenesse tried to push herself up on her elbows, but a spear haft shoved her back down, knocking her head back against the stone.

“Yeah, they're not letting us move around,” Andren's voice said from her left. "Best to stay still for now."

Lenesse turned her head to look at him. That small action seemed permitted by the guard, standing stiffly within spear-striking distance of all three of them. Esyin was closest to her, lying limply as if he had just been dumped off someone's shoulder - he still looked to be out cold, but his face was facing away from her, so she couldn't tell. Andren was slumped against the wall just beyond him, dried blood cracked across his cheek and matting the rough stubble along his jaw. 

She couldn't remember if that injury had been there before. "You alright?"

Andren nodded. The black eye he’d gotten earlier looked worse in the pale, warmthless light; even more dried blood dribbled from his nose. It looked broken. Again.

She smiled. "You look great."

Andren tried to chuckle, but ending up coughing. The Nyrthyl shoved him back against the wall when he tried to shift into a more comfortable position. "You don't look too bad yourself, Less."

Lenesse rolled her eyes. "Come on, we’ve talked about the nickname thing."

Andren snorted. “What are you going to do? Give me a black eye?”

“Sure, that way you can have a matching set.”

"It'd probably be an improvement," Esyin croaked, stirring a bit for the first time. He tried to straighten out a bit, but got a sharp rap across his injured ankle for his trouble. He winced. "I mean," he added through gritted teeth, "you at least can’t make him look worse. Have you seen his face lately?"

"Well, I could help you out, too, if you want," Lenesse replied. “You can probably use it.”

"Eh. Go jump in a river."

“Rude.”

"Take a bath while you're at it," Andren added, "I've seen cleaner mudskippers."

Lenesse smiled. Her whole body shuddered from cold and exhaustion, but if she closed her eyes and listened only to their voices mumbling out familiar banter, maybe - just maybe - she could convince herself they were all back in the barracks. For one second she could be free of this whole dismal nightmare.

"Can you understand us?" Esyin said, breaking the illusion. He had turned to stare up at the Nyrthyl guarding them.

The Nyrthyl curled his lip, flat, glowering face and glowing skin radiating disdain. His mouth moved for a second, then he stopped.

"So, you can," Esyin said, relaxing back against the stone floor, "you just don't like us enough to try and respond."

"He could just be planning a surprise party for us," Lenesse said dully, still watching the Nyrthyl. His face twitched, and, without moving, his eyes shifted their glare towards her. 

Yeah, he can understand us.

"Just doesn't want to risk giving away the secret," Andren agreed.

"That's probably also why he looks like he wants to throw up every time we talk," Lenesse added.

"I mean, he could just be allergic to cake," Andren said.

The Nyrthyl's hands shifted on his spear, tightening, knuckles whitening.

Man, Lenesse thought, he really is about two seconds from killing all of us.

"A very pleasant fellow," she said out loud.

Andren didn't seem to have anything to add. Esyin was still staring at the wall. 

The silence seemed to echo in the small stone chamber, mingling with what sounded like a river just outside the door. Which was odd. But, come to think of it, legends did say that the Nyrthyl castle had a river flowing through it, so maybe there was even more truth to those tales than previously thought.

It’s probably the river we were following, Lenesse thought. The idea nearly sent her into a fit of hysterical laughter. That had been their last hope, to follow the river out of the swamp to safety. Of course it led them to the Nyrthyls. Of course it had.

Our last hope is going to be what kills us. 

Lenesse bit the inside of her lip, strangling the high-pitched giggle she could feel bubbling up in her throat.

Of course. I mean, did we think we were getting OUT of this? ANY of this?

We marched into the heart of Lanshir's territory and we thought we were going to march back OUT?

It was harder now. She could taste blood on her lip as she bit down more, the suppressed laughter adding to her shudders, a manic grin fighting to break out on her face.

She couldn't even give herself the satisfaction of blaming herself for everyone dying. She might be responsible for them dying in the swamp, but they were always going to die - ever since they stepped out of City of Kings, like all the poor fools sent on this fools errand before them.

She thought of her two little brothers, her parents. Wondered when they'd be told that she was "missing in action". Wondered how Tresha and Ayin would take the news back in the city. Wondered what poor soul would be sent after them to meet a similar deadly fate. Maybe Sir Ralben would get the idea and stop sending his soldiers two by two to their deaths.

Yeah. Two by two. Because I was never even supposed to be here.

Another giggle bitten back. The crowning stupidity of it all was that if she had just done as Fylon had told her, she'd be back in the City of Kings — bored out of her skull, yes, but not tied up to be killed by Nyrthyls. Andren and Esyin would be out here dying on their own.

They'd already be dead, actually. Just at Lanshir's hands, not the Nyrthyls. Because, somehow, she had been stupid enough to think they had any sort of a fighting a chance in any version of events, and had given them all enough hope to drag this all out further. If it hadn’t been for her they'd already be corpses back in the forest.

That thought was the first to nearly brought a sob out of her.

She couldn't think about them dying.

She could die, probably with hysteric laughter if past experience was anything to go by. But not them. It couldn’t be them. Not them lying on the ground, blank eyes staring into nothing. Not them with a spear to their throats. Not them — 

"If you don’t mind, why exactly are we still alive?" Esyin said suddenly.

The Nyrthyl stared at him but did not answer.

"We were trespassing on your land, and you apparently hate us. So why are we still alive? For you to kill us slower? Or do you have some other purpose in mind?"

The Nyrthyl jabbed at him sharply, speaking for the first time in broken, heavily-accented Trade. "No questions."

Answers or not, Esyin had a point.

Why were they still alive?

A shiver ran down her spine. It couldn’t be for anything good.

"I mean, thanks, though," Andren said. "This way you’re giving us enough time to escape and make it out of this mudhole."

Lenesse knew his confidence came from bravado and nothing else. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hug him for it or shake him for being an idiot.

The Nyrthyl laughed, the mocking sound bouncing off the stone room hideously. "Keep that thought, orsidtezc. It will make it more enjoying for me when you scream, dying."

Lenesse flinched involuntarily.

"Sure, if the idea makes you feel better." Andren looked down to lock eyes with Lenesse. "We are going to make it anyway. All the way out."

The fear behind that brash assurance, which she knew was an act for her benefit, nearly broke her resolve to keep from crying. She could see the reality in his posture, strung up as if by puppet wires — slumped but too tense, too ready to snap into sudden action to be believable. She could see it in how wide his eyes were, in how strained his mouth was as he tried to smile at her.

Oh Andren, she thought. I know you're just as scared as I am. Maybe even more so. You're terrified that you're going to have to watch your brother die in front of you. You're terrified of failing him and breaking your promise to keep him safe. You may even be scared of breaking that half-cocked promise you made about protecting me. 

She knew it was all a lie. It didn't make it reassuring. But it did, somehow, make it infinitely more comforting.

"Yeah," she said, smiling grimly, trying to ignore the single, silent tear pooling up in the corner of her eye. "All the way out."

[larissa-the-scribe]

Context for Twisted Outcomes:

I won’t go into too many story details because it’s pretty spoiler related, but Lenesse and Andren are fairly high-ranking military officers at this point. Argior used to be on their side, in their army, but after a series of events he deserted. He was one of the most talented warriors.

His life became a mess on many different levels, and he blames Lenesse and her friends for all of that - particularly Lenesse, who he hates with a burning passion. It’s kind of his main motivation in life at the moment.

At this time, in their country (Kaslay) certain power struggles are going on, and it seems to be that Argior is working with a shadow figure, manipulating events. 

Lenesse and Andren stumbled into some discoveries that the other side would prefer to keep hidden - but they also want some information on Sir Ralben’s side. Solution: torture.

[larissa-the-scribe]

World Tour: Kosmyldar (5/5)

[Long post incoming, but it’s mostly story summaries]

While on one hand this world isn’t as creative as some of my other worlds, this is perhaps the one with the most details simply due to it being my “main” world, the world where a large majority of my stories take place. It is also unique in another aspect: unlike the other worlds mentioned up to now, space travel is a thing here. That being said, the planet where most of the stories take place doesn’t have space travel capabilities (at the moment anyway), so it’s not really something that comes up. There are a few stories set in space, though, unrelated to that one planet.

Any extra worldbuilding will be dealt with in the context of its connected story. What you need to know for now is what exists of the magic system (still in development). Basically, it boils down to a tier system, where every tier higher has new abilities gained. I do not currently know if it’s genetic or if it’s random [side note, in Mirrajers magic is genetic but mirrajing is random]. You cannot switch tiers, as that would be to gain abilities you were not born with any capacity to use. Innate magic exists as well as cast magic, depending on tiers. Bottom tier, the most common type of magic, includes physical enhancements (like increased speed, or strength). There is also some elemental magic, but it doesn’t follow the same ‘four element’ pattern - it mostly just means abilities that are connected to something that exists in nature, like ice, or lightning, or clay. Again, it depends on the tier. Higher tiers include non-elemental/natural abilities, like cast magic or telekinesis-esque abilities.

As for stories, there are, essentially, five longer series and a number of “one-shots” - either duologies or standalone stories - as well as a few short stories.

The first series on the planet Raskarr (or at least the first that comes chronologically) is about a young cripple girl, the daughter of a renowned general and king who believes that she is cursed; more specifically, a curse on him. Despite growing up in that (not so) loving environment, she grows up to be a brilliant military strategist - and the continent’s best chance against the invading army known as the Wolves. [tag: #Klarnbyr]

The next long series is more episodic, generally focusing on a different person/lifetime in each book. The first story is about Redrose, a hotheaded young archer whose family gets killed in a war between Safyre and Qwouse. At first seeking revenge, she trains to fight in the army and engage her enemies on the battlefield; but it soon becomes more than a personal vengeance quest as she is given the responsibility of caring for a small squadron of misfit guerrilla warriors. [tag: #Safyre]

The third (and my personal favorite) is set in the country of Kaslay. The first few books deal with the main characters getting involved in a civil war, caused by a former folk hero turned villain. There’s Lenesse, the idealistic warrior with undiscovered power, hoping that maybe there’s a way for her formerly idolized hero to be redeemed; Andren, a cynic, who’s just hoping to keep his three younger siblings safe in a war that’s too big for any of them; Tresha, a staunch pacifist planning on being the greatest field medic in the army; Esyin, a genius strategist struggling to find his place in his family and the army; and Narin, the wise-cracking youngest who’s terrified out of his mind, but is more afraid of being a liability to the ones he loves - he hopes to someday to be the one saving others for a change. 

Andren, Tresha, Esyin, and Narin are all siblings (order of oldest to youngest). Lenesse is a close childhood friend of theirs, but she is from a different family and has two much younger brothers back home, one by blood and one by adoption. [tag: #Kaslay]

Crossovers are also a thing in this universe.

A standalone (that also happens to be my longest WIP) is set long after the events in Kaslay, in a smaller, more remote country called Nyviu. A boy goes missing, just before a war starts between Nyviu and the FireClan (no relation to the Fire Nation); the only people who either know or care are his cousin and a group of friends. Despite a city-wide lockdown, the group ventures into the mountains to attempt a rescue - but that goes south quickly when they are captured by the FireClan and accused of  trespassing and espionage. However, they just might find an unlikely ally in the person of a young, dissatisfied FireClan soldier who dreams of a future where she can live, peacefully, in a world beyond the FireClan caves. [tag:#Nyviu]

I have the first and a half (rather terrible) drafts of that one done, but I’m currently working on another project that I want to finish before I get back to it.

Moving to space, we have the story of Jarryd, a half-”dragon” (actually an alien) hybrid who serves a sorcerer studying the effects of magic and abilities in different people/species, through... well, let’s call them experiments. Jarryd works as a bodyguard/spy/“talent scout”. While on an unrelated trip, he runs into a girl (Ashley) who seems to have multiple strong abilities - but those abilities clearly don’t conform to what’s known of magic’s tier system. Originally approaching her in order to “acquire a new test subject” (as his employer/grandfather terms it), he unwillingly ends up as close friends with her - which, while it doesn’t initially stop him from doing his job, does lead to him more closely investigate the organization he’s been blindly working for since he was a kid. [tag:#Jarryd&Ashley]

The other space-based trilogy is one of the latest stories, chronologically speaking. It follows a former headhunter (bounty-hunter) who, after an encounter with a target that goes wildly off-track, undergoes a redemption arc - and as a result reluctantly joins a small band of rebels fighting a powerful shadow organization with a stranglehold on all major systems. [tag:#headhunter]

[larissa-the-scribe]

Andren 💬

"Well, at least we're still alive!"

*distant crashing*

"...I may have spoken too soon."