seen from United Kingdom
seen from Australia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from T1
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Argentina
seen from Netherlands
seen from France
seen from Finland
seen from France
seen from France
seen from New Zealand
He’d only found freedom when he left the Jedi. Freedom to be himself. Roan had taught him that. Roan had taught him not to care what anyone thought, but to regard everyone’s feelings. It was a distinction he had somehow not been able to learn at the Temple. He had been too busy trying to be perfect.
Excerpt from Jude Watson's The Last of the Jedi Book 2 - Dark Warning
Hey guys uhm. So hypothetical question. Lets say that I dropped my phone, and it's unusable now. I got a new one of the same kind, and my IBS paint only saved 6 drawings that I couldn't give less of a shit about because "muh become prime." Does anyone know how I can possibly recover my drawings? Even just a few?
Sims 3 - Gameplay enhancing mods: In-game fixes, Store item fixes, No More and other mods - Part 2.
Continuation of our category-based mod post. Mods and links previously featured in our Masterlist. All credits to their rightful owners.
Categories include small mods fixing in-game issues, Store items fixes, No More autonomous actions and mods that don't fit previous categories. Previous post here.
Fixes:
Plumbot Fixes Mod
Fix: Guitar needs less Space for playing
Fix: Bass needs less Space for playing
Potions (Alchemy) fit everywhere
Potions (Chemistry Lab) fit everywhere
Non Walkable Fences Basegame
Fix for wall with crown and baseboard moulding and trimmed border
Fixes for Three EA Wall Sets from the Base Game and Ambitions
Fix for the Normalmaps on Horizontal Timbered Wall SET
Horizontal Clapboard - Fixed
Wall fixes + one new wall
Sims 3 Hidden Stencils Unlocked + Fixed!
LN Celeb Fridge Texture Fix
University Life Alpha Omega Door Fix
Alchemy Fix: No more invasion of the spawners
Missing/Empty Book Title Fix
Crossed-Out Trait Thumbnail Fixes
Laser Rhythm-a-con Star Challenge Fix 1.0
Infinite Laundry Buffs Fix
Throw a Great Party Dreams Fix
No Relationship Decrease from Performance
Toddler Age-up Grammar Fix
Chemistry Lab Outfit Fix
Brass beds mask fix
SHT: Simply Stylish Wall -Fence Fixed!
Generations Wall Shelf Slot "Fix"
PermaWood Stairs Fix
Mags' Door - FIX
Ceci n'est pas white - Window Fixes
WA 'Shuttered Window - Open' - FIX
WA French Mailbox Buyable plus FIX
Scarab Rejuvenation Bed - FIX
Crowning Glory Window - FIX
Late Night Plant Fix
Late Night Camera Fix
More Efficient Upgrade Name Fix
The Working Sim's Bed - Minor bug fix 5.4.2014
Floor Fix - Short, Medium-Length Planks with Pegs
Fences - No Posts
KP's Watermelon Romper Fix - Updated
Hardcore Fence Unlocked
Haute Hacienda Fireplace Fixes
Fishing Box/Chest Fix (2 versions)
Ghosts Leaving Lot Fix, Graveyard and Other
Store Item Fixes:
Wonderfully Woven Hanging Chair Fix
Now & Then Manor Curved Staircase FIXED!
Amour Perfume Moodlet Typo Fix
Uber Sani-Sim Toilet *FIXED*
Spell Book Tweaks, with multiple flavors
Ultra Lounge unCAStables made CAStable
Hewnsman unCAStables made CAStable
Door and Window Fix
Store Fixes: Route Fail
Lucky Palms Window Fix
Vineyard Vittles Dining Table Fix
Banquett Fan Routing Fix
Tree of Prosperity - Pixies and Fireflies light Show Spawn Fix
No More Autonomous:
Sauna mods: no autonomous bath and no life extending after
No Autonomous Smustle Dance + No Smustle Dance Mods
No autonomy cat, horse and dog mods. Along with no booby traps.
No More Fire
No Uneven Cooking
No or less cold showers
No More "Tastes Like Fridge" Moodlet
ClaudiaSharon's Simblr: No more free vacations, a new mod (tumblr.com)
No Autonomous Build Igloo/SnowMan/SnowAngel
Stop Viewing Objects, Except in the Art Gallery
Other mods:
Name Randomizers
Simport Rewards Unlocked
Safe and Fun Bonfires
No_Mascot_CameraZoom
No_TimePortal_CameraZoom
Quiet Doors
Invisible Parking Space
Newspaper & Mail Mods (Compatible with Patch 1.63-1.67)
Jenesis' All Buyable Fish/Books/Fruits Mods (Compatible with Patch 1.63-1.67)
Welcome Wagon Mods "None/Less/More" (Compatible with Patch 1.63-1.67)
Bed Mods: [Never Oversleep] & [Always Make Bed]
Simstopics Higher Meteor Chances
Simstopics Mail Comes Different Days
ClaudiaSharon's Simblr: Buy and Sell Imaginary Friends! (tumblr.com)
New dance routines
Welcome to the Jungle
Song of the Seven Suns, Part 9
Summary: Our heroes continue and complete their journey to the Unandi, the Forest of Secrets. Ominous visions and worrying omens abound, and by the time they reach the jungle, they have realized something: they are not alone. They’re being hunted.
Taglist (let me know if you want to be added/removed!): @hellishhin @talesfromaurea @thelaughingstag
content warnings: threats, violence, death and animal death, some mild gore, nightmares, and a decent amount of cursing
word count: ~7000
The rain had stopped by sundown, and the only sign it had happened at all was the hanging gray remnants of clouds that were streaked across the sky. When the sun had finished its journey and the sky had carried its children off to rain another day, the adventurers settled down to rest alongside the world.
As she sat on watch that night, Shakari smiled looking around at her companions. They looked peaceful, in those fading hours of the evening. Alejandro and Faulkron were laying tentatively against each other. Fuego was curled next to the fire like a halfling-sized cat, and Jetra was sprawled among the soft dirt and grass, a ghost of a grin on her sleeping face. But as Shakari watched the fading embers and smoke of their campfire mingle with the stars above, she couldn’t help but be reminded of her visions. If what she had seen was true, then this peace wouldn’t last long.
When the morning broke and the sun lit up the drops of dew like shining silver beads, that same strong wind was blowing from the north, whistling across Shakari’s scales as they led the group forward. They were getting closer now, and Shakari could smell the anticipation on the breeze, bringing them ever closer to the rainforest. The tree cover was getting thicker, and the hills higher. A few days more and they’d reach the edge of the forest, and there’d be no turning back then.
As they made camp that night, Shakari found herself staring once again through the branches above and out at a sky full of shining shimmering color.
The branches swayed overhead, and the stars blinked in and out of view with each gust. She sighed. It was always so much easier to see the sky at home. She supposed she’d add it to the list of things she missed about the desert.
As they were gazing upwards, they heard Faulkron walking over to them. He sat down next to Shakari, looking toward the sky as well.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked after sitting in silence for a few moments.
Shakari looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“The stars.”
He nodded, still staring upward. “They’re beautiful here.”
“Yes, they are,” Shakari smiled. “Were they not beautiful in the Unterras?”
“Oh, no, they were, it’s just that the constellations are so different. It’s neat,” he said. “What were the stars like at your home?”
“Oh, they’re stunning. You feel like you can see straight into the heavens,” Shakari said, a wistful sigh escaping their lips.
Faulkron smiled at them. “Sounds nice.”
“It was.”
“You miss it?”
“Often.”
Faulkron hesitated, then cocked his head.“Then... why’d you leave?”
Shakari looked at him for a long moment before answering. “I had to,” Shakari said, turning back towards the sky.
He didn’t say anything further, just sat quietly. Eventually, she heard his steps retreat toward the campfire, and she closed her eyes, trying to ignore the gaping hole in her chest.
•••
Jetra slowly blinked her eyes open, groaning as she sat up from the ground. None of the others were awake yet, so she stood up and stretched, beginning to rekindle the fire to make breakfast.
As she was stoking the flames, she stared off at the landscape around. She’d woken up quite early that day. She wasn’t sure if it was because she just slept wrong or because of anxiety, but either way it was beautiful. The eastern sky was a pale blue that said the sun was on its way, the dawn’s rose-gold light dancing along the gathered clouds.
She turned back northward, the path they’d come from. Thoughts of Leinos swirled in her head, but she ignored them best she could, trying to stay in the moment.
And as she gazed toward the horizon there, she was struck out of her reverie.
A small figure stood on a distant hill in billowing clothing, too far to make out anything. Jetra scrambled to standing in a futile attempt to see better. When she looked again, the figure was gone.
So much for ignoring anxiety. She was on edge all day, and she checked for the figure again and again, but saw nothing. She wanted to dismiss it as a branch or some other thing mistaken for a humanoid, but she couldn’t shake the notion that someone could be hunting her already. She had no doubts the Crown could mobilize that fast, but for them to have already found her...
It was no surprise, then, that she couldn’t sleep that night. Since she wasn’t sleeping anyway, she offered to take first watch and at least make use of the time.
Her eyes were focused on the northern horizon the whole watch, but again nothing showed itself. Just as she’d begun to give up, though, there was a sudden rustling from behind her.
Sword out and magic at the ready, she whirled around, but it was no attacker.
Lying on the ground where she’d been sleeping, Shakari convulsed. She was curled into a scaled ball, sunlight pouring from behind her eyelids as she hissed.
Jetra cursed, dropping her sword, and ran to her friend, shaking her vigorously.
“Shakari! Shakari! Gods- Shakari! Wake up!”
•••
The sand blew strong across the dunes, grating against Shakari’s scales. They stumbled through the clouds of dust, searching for the place they knew they always returned. As they took struggling steps forward, they felt a sickening crunch. Looking down, Shakari could see their foot had crushed a withered skull. She looked down around her, and realized there were bones everywhere. Humanoid, beast, an impossible number. Around where Shakari stood, the dried husks of trees blew and broke in the wind. There, right in front of them, a single drop of water evaporated from the shadow of a pool in the cracked ground.
Horrified, Shakari fell to their knees at the bottom of the empty pool, searching for any sign of water, or the Spirit. Above them, the sandstorm let up, and the sky cleared for a moment. Shakari looked to the sky, hope restored, but the light did not last long. Within seconds, the world around Shakari had turned to darkness, no sun nor stars nor moons to guide their way. Above, in the center of the sky, burned a ring of fire.
As Shakari grimaced, shielding her eyes from the sight, a faint voice cried against the gales of hot wind. “The eclipse... it is doom’s herald just as you are my herald. It comes for you now.”
Shakari wrenched their eyes fully shut as the sun returned in a blaze of light and heat. Opening their eyes again, they were back in the jungle. The jungle remained still and silent, and Shakari fell backward into the foliage, disoriented.
As she stood again, she swore she could see the glint of blades in the shadows, flitting like birds amongst the trees.
“Beware, Shakari,” whispered the fading voice, rippling in the silence of the jungle. “Beware...”
•••
Shakari suddenly shot awake, breathing heavy, grabbing Jetra’s arm with an iron grip as she was shaking her.
A faint light was still receding from Shakari’s eyes as her breathing steadied and she slowly released Jetra’s arm.
“Are you okay? What in the nine hells happened?” Jetra scanned Shakari for any remnants of whatever curse took hold of her, but there was nothing.
Shakari groaned, sounding exhausted despite having just been sleeping. “I’m fine. Just a vision.”
Jetra stared at her with equal parts shock, amazement, and confusion.
“I- Not to be an ass, but that didn’t look like ‘just a vision’,” she said.
Shakari sat up, shaking her head. “It was more intense than normal, but not anything that will harm me,” they reassured Jetra with a sigh.
“Alright, well, you should get back to slee—“
“Jetra.”
Jetra stopped speaking as she saw Shakari stiffen, following their eyes across the camp to where Faulkron was sleeping.
There, their friend lay convulsing, sunlight pouring from behind his eyelids.
•••
Leaves and branches flew past as Faulkron ran through the jungle, dodging blurry indistinct projectiles as he made a mad dash toward an unknown destination.
What am I doing? I don’t run, he thought to himself, but he couldn’t stop, no matter how hard he tried.
He ran for a long time. Too long. So long that by the time his shadowy pursuers had fallen away, whatever they were, he had forgotten when he had started, or even what time it was. His surroundings were starting to blur away too, the jungle foliage distorting just enough to look real from a distance, and for Faulkron to get very very lost.
As he stumbled in some random direction, he heard a whisper come out of the brush, and as he turned to fight off whatever danger had come upon him, he saw an old man walk out of the forest.
Faulkron could not see his face, only ancient weathered skin, long elven ears, and a once-ornate walking stick and cloak.
“You have finally found us,” the old man said quietly.
“Who the hells are you?” Faulkron asked, not lowering his sword.
He got no response. Instead, the old man began to walk back into the forest, beckoning for him.
“Hey! You didn’t answer me!” Faulkron yelled at his back. “What the fuck...”
The old man kept walking, as if he knew something Faulkron didn’t. Faulkron groaned, then started off after him.
Twisting paths through the jungle opened and closed for them in a haphazard maze, until they reached their final destination. A grand obelisk, carved from ancient wood and marked with age-old inscriptions. The old man turned back to Faulkron at last.
“Journey here.”
“How? I don’t even know where ‘here’ is.”
“You will know. You will see the signs.”
•••
Faulkron awoke with a jolt to a clawed hand on his shoulder. Blinking slowly, he let his breathing slow as he remembered where he was.
Jetra peeked out from over Shakari’s shoulder as they both stared down at him. “What the fuck is going on, you two?”
“Why should I know? I just woke up! What’s happening?” Faulkron said, bewildered, turning to Shakari.
Shakari said nothing. She was staring at Faulkron, a curious look on her face, her expression unnervingly still.
Then, quick as her face had fallen still, she broke the hush that had fallen over the trio.
“What did you see?”
Faulkron raised an eyebrow. He’d seen a lot, but what was he supposed to say?
“It was just a dream, I don’t know, it was—“
“Different?” they cut him off, still eerily calm.
Faulkron raised an eyebrow. “What does it matter?”
“That was no dream you had, Faulkron. That was a vision.”
Faulkron stared at them, looking for any sign that they were pranking him and finding none. He chuckled nervously. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m afraid I am,” Shakari said, staring right back.
“But, don’t only people like priests and clerics get visions like that? Why would I get a vision?”
Shakari shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve had visions before, but not at the same time as someone else.”
“Great, that doesn’t clear anything up. I just want to know what’s going on,” he said, agitation beginning to build as he got more questions than answers.
“If you want to know the meaning behind it, remember what you saw. There’s meaning hidden in it, if it was anything like mine. I can help you decipher it, if you’d like.”
Faulkron hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Okay, thanks, I think. Do... do you get visions often?”
“No,” Shakari said, “But as we get closer to the Unandi I have seen... more than normal.”
Faulkron narrowed his eyes. “Good or bad?”
“Neither,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Some have warnings, some guidance. Some only have vague clues and metaphors. What I make of the things I am shown, and what fate awaits me, has yet to be determined.”
“That’s not much of a comfort.”
“The future rarely is.”
Faulkron grunted in agreement.
“So... what did you see?” Shakari asked again.
“An old elf, I didn’t know who he was. I was running from something, I don’t know what, but then I started getting lost. That’s when he found me. He came out of the jungle and he told me to find him at this weird obelisk. I asked him how and he just said I would know, all cryptic and shit, and then I woke up.”
Shakari frowned. “That is a strange vision. I think the meaning is clear, though. Find this elf, whoever he is, and speak to him.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d say that. I just don’t understand the rest of it. Especially the ‘how’ part of finding him.”
“I don’t either. I’m sure it will make sense in hindsight, but until then, I suggest we continue making our own way. If the man in your vision is to be trusted, we will find him somehow.”
“That’s good, I think.”
Shakari chuckled, but there was no smile in it. “Let’s hope so,” they said. “If you have any more visions, tell me. Such omens don’t do well when they’re ignored.”
“Will do,” Faulkron replied. He laid back down, shaking off his uneasiness and making yet another attempt at sleep.
•••
Shakari walked back over to Jetra, who had returned to sitting on watch as the other two spoke.
“Jetra, I’ll take the next watch.”
Jetra looked up at her from her position, cocking an eyebrow.
“You sure? You got woken up pretty roughly-“
“I won’t be able to sleep. I need some time to think anyway.”
Shakari could see Jetra scanning her face, and tried to push down any look of worry or turmoil she might have worn.
Jetra seemed to not notice, and she finally spoke. “Alright. I heard you talking about the visions and stuff over there, are you alright?”
“Yes, just need some time to process.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll, uh... leave you to it. Wake me if you need something.”
“I will.”
Before Jetra laid down, she turned back to Shakari. “If you don’t mind my asking... what did you see?”
“I’m not sure how to describe it. In the simplest of terms, it was... bad.”
Jetra nodded, then promptly crawled over to her spot by the fire and passed out.
As Shakari waited for dawn that night, the scenes of her dream played over and over again in her mind.
The dried oasis, full of bones.
The eclipse. A false night, a ring of fire.
The shadows, the hidden gleam of blades.
The jungle, the silence, and the warning:
“Beware.”
•••
Over the next two days, the sun hid behind the clouds, only sharing its light in scattered moments when the blanket of gray pulled apart.
As they traveled through ever-tougher terrain, Faulkron occasionally shared a significant look with Shakari, and though neither said a thing, there was a silent understanding. Both were still on edge, searching the wilderness around them not only for danger, but also for any indication of omens or signs hidden among the hills and trees. Though Shakari found none, she couldn’t help but feel that her vision would be relevant sooner rather than later.
Shakari noticed that Jetra, too, seemed wary as they approached the Unandi. Every so often, she would look back over her shoulder, brows furrowed, and mutter something to herself before catching up with the rest of the group.
“You seem agitated. Are you alright?” Shakari asked, approaching Jetra as they broke camp on the second morning of cloudy skies.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I just... I thought I saw something.”
Shakari didn’t like the sound of that. Jetra’s voice had an edge to it that didn’t match It’s usual strength. “Saw what?”
“A couple days ago, I thought I saw someone, on a ridge some ways behind us. But when I looked again they were gone. I’m not even sure if it was just a trick of the eyes, but considering everything...”
“You think someone might be following us.” Shakari finished.
Jetra nodded, casting her eyes back to the north. Shakari scanned behind them as well, hoping her dragonborn senses might be able to spot something Jetra couldn’t, but the only movement there was the wind in the trees, the slow crawl of the clouds across the sky, and the swaying of the grass.
“I don’t see anything, but I’ll keep an eye out,” Shakari said after a minute of looking.
“Thanks,” Jetra said. Then she picked up her lyre and her gear, and they began the next day’s journey.
As they traveled among the hills that morning, however, it became clear they were not the first to do so. Faulkron was first to spot the signs of humanoid passage through the terrain; a footprint here, disturbed branches or brush there. He quickly pointed them out to Shakari, voice tense.
The group fell silent, and they began to creep through the long shadows of the morning, following the loosely connected trail. Shakari could sense the unease among her companions. The fact that a trail should be found just after Jetra mentioned being followed was a correlation she wasn’t excited to explore, and the trail was hidden enough that it was clear that whoever made it knew what they were doing.
“Be careful,” Faulkron whispered, crouching in the underbrush as he followed the trail. “The tracks are pretty fresh, they could be anywh-“
Suddenly he stopped. Just as Shakari looked over to see what was wrong, they felt cold metal press against the scales on their throat.
Faulkron slowly stood up straight, a similar blade against his neck, short and curved into a deadly edge. Behind the wielder of the sword stood an extremely tall figure, who stepped out from the trees as the rest of the companions froze.
The goliath wore light garments, with furred gauntlets and simple hide armors. His dark gray skin was covered in brightly colored tattoos, and he held a masterfully crafted spear. Shakari recognized the clothing. Azerian.
“Who are you?” asked the goliath. “Why are you tracking us?” He glared at Faulkron.
Faulkron only glared back, even as the blade pressed into his throat.
Shakari spoke up quickly before the situation could go sideways, calling the man’s attention away from Faulkron. “Friend, we mean you no harm,” she said, then hissed at the goliath behind her as the blade scraped lightly against her scales.
The leader turned toward Shakari, forgetting Faulkron for the moment. He gestured to the goliath behind them to lower the blade.
“Let them speak.” He paused, looking them over. “Are you a’azeri? Your clothing does not look like that of Leinos.”
Shakari nodded, rubbing her throat. “Yes, I am Azerian. Like I said, we mean you no harm. We were unaware of who we were tracking, and we had some unfortunate encounters earlier in our journey, so we were being cautious.”
“Hm. You seem to be honest enough, but I too must be cautious, and you have yet to explain why you and your friends here have come so far into the wilderness. Our lands do not often get friendly visitors from the north,” he said, his voice grim and stony.
“We seek to enter the Unandi, and I’m guiding them there. We’re heading south, out of your territory, and we had no intention of trespass. Now would you please release my friends?”
The leader gave a small nod, and the rest of the group was released by the other warriors.
“Forgive my quick suspicion,” he said as he turned to all of them. “I have heard rumors of our sister tribes in the Engawe deserts under attack by Leinai warriors, and did not want our people to befall similar fates. My name is Jaloda.”
Shakari froze. “Wait. What did you say?”
Jaloda raised an eyebrow. “Have you not heard? There has been conflict at the Engawe border. It seems the Leinai king may be attempting to reignite the war.”
A hush fell over the area, and Shakari felt a sickening feeling settle in her stomach.
“That can’t be right, why would they...” she trailed off, looking back at Jetra and Alejandro. They looked just as shocked and full of dread as she felt.
“It’s only whispers, but worrying ones nonetheless. If anything, it’s a few skirmishes. They may not become anything, but...” he trailed off, but Shakari understood. There was a history. It was better to be cautious. “But, since you and your friends are not assassins or mercenaries or otherwise, and do not seem to wish us harm, you may pass peacefully,” Jaloda said.
Shakari let go of a relieved breath. “Thank you, Jaloda. I am Shakari, by the way.” It was customary to trade names if one had been given, but in her shock she’d forgotten. “We’ll just get going,” she said, gesturing to her friends to follow as she walked away from the Goliaths, who hadn’t moved. As they left, she turned back to Jaloda. “May your people continue to be safe and strong.”
“And may your journey be well and swift,” he said with a small nod.
Shakari returned the nod, and they set off again into the woods, the tension of the encounter slowly uncoiling as the distance grew.
“What the heck just happened?” Fuego asked Shakari once they were a good space away.
Shakari sighed. “A lot of things. Mainly, we were mistaken for sellswords who were preparing to attack Jaloda and his people.”
“Well, we are sellswords, but why would we be after them?”
“Apparently, there’s been skirmishes on the eastern border. They were worried our presence might be another one in the making, and they acted preemptively.”
Fuego went quiet for a moment, looking off through the branches towards the eastern sky.
“Everyone keeps talking about the war. The King, the attacks, all these things. And when Jaloda mentioned it, everyone but me and Faulkron looked like they’d seen a ghost,” Fuego said quietly.
Shakari turned towards him, caught off guard by the waver in his voice.
“What...” he trailed off, frowning. “What happened? Why is this place so wounded?”
Shakari sighed. Old stories resurfaced in her mind, as she recalled the warnings and tales of her people when they spoke of the war. “Their people betrayed ours. They tried to conquer us and failed. Though we reached peace again, much was lost on both sides. It was a long time ago... but not long enough,” she said. “The wounds are still fresh, to some.”
Fuego nodded slowly. “And obviously, if it happened again, that’s really bad.”
“Right,” Shakari said. “Which is why the rumors about the border are so troubling, for all of us.”
Fuego pulled his gaze away from the sunrise and towards Shakari. “Then... what do we do?”
Shakari sighed. “I’m not sure.” Her mind returned briefly to her visions, and what this could mean, but she pushed away those thoughts for now. “My instincts tell me to continue on our current path. After all, if no one escalates the situation it will likely blow over. It’s not as if war has broken out just yet. And if it does... well, we’ll face it then.”
“Together?” Fuego asked, still taking it all in.
“Together.”
•••
As they traveled that day, they left the soaring, drier hills behind, descending into a maze of smaller forested valleys. Trees, shrubs, and wildflowers of all sorts and colors grew in frequency as they neared the jungle. As the morning turned to midday, midday to evening, and evening to night, the clouds only thickened, and it seemed rain was close at hand.
The next day only proved them correct. The clouds had darkened and begun to sprinkle rain before they’d even been traveling an hour that morning, and it rained most of the day, ranging from downpour to drizzle as the skies shifted. When they finally made camp that night, the whole group was wet and tired, and eager to dry off by what fire they could muster.
The horizon was impossible to see clearly, but a blanket of green seemed to barely linger there through the haze of the rain, and there was a buzzing in the adventurers’ hearts as they realized they could see their destination ahead.
Once a firepit had been made, and the kindling lit with a gesture from Fuego, the group lay about, recovering from the day’s exertion and enjoying the comfort of rest and shelter from the rain.
“Mm-mmh. That’s good stuff. Anyone wanna play dice?” Fuego asked, mouth still half full of the hare they’d caught and cooked that night.
There was a chorus of agreements as they all gathered around, and for a few moments, they all forgot about their worries. Whether it was the rain, the rumors of war, looming threats and promises, or just thoughts of home, all were forgotten as they sat around the fire, smiling and laughing and letting themselves relax.
Some time into the night, a particularly unlucky throw of the dice caused an uproar around the campfire.
Shakari had just, by some unfortunate stroke of fate, gotten the worst combination possible on the dice in the game they were playing. As the others all groaned in sympathy, she made a strikingly shrill undulating noise somewhere near a growl but not quite there. After a moment of shock, Jetra gave a hearty bellowing laugh.
“That was the most wonderful yet insane sound I’ve ever heard!” she cried.
Shakari, after clearing her throat and recovering from her slip, scoffed. “Yeah, you think that’s something? You should hear a baby dragonborn when they’re upset. Terrifying little shriekers,” she said, shivering as the others laughed.
Jetra smiled along with the group, then her eyes went wide. “Wait, Wait! I’ve got an idea!” she said, starting to rummage through her pack with frantic haste. In a few seconds she had pulled free her journal.
“Can you do that sound again?” she asked Shakari, a crazed but eager look on her face.
The others had stopped laughing now, curiosities piqued by the glimmer in Jetra’s eye.
Shakari shrugged and went along with it, interested to see what idea had struck their friend.
They made the sound again, and as they did, Jetra grinned, tapping her finger gently on her journal as she found a rhythm. She asked Shakari to do it a few more times, all the while scribbling in the journal with a feverish intensity.
“Your trill — if that’s what you’d call it?—has just inspired me to write a new song,” she said, grinning. “You’re all about to hear a very prototype version, but listen to this and tell me it isn’t awesome.” As she pulled out her lyre, she nodded to Shakari, and as the sound was made, Jetra played alongside it. Though it was rough in places, the combination produced a fascinating cadence, somewhere between a bird’s call and the buzzing of insects made into musical form.
They all agreed it was fascinating, and for a while as they sat around the campfire, they listened and experimented with it as Jetra scribbled notes. In time, they all returned to their game, but when it was over, and they had all begun to drift off to sleep, Jetra returned to the journal, refining the harmonies well into the night.
•••
That following morning, Shakari woke up before the sun. Again, they found their thoughts racing, unable to find true rest despite the calm of the night before. Three visions in so little time, and the last one more ominous than most they’d received so far. It was a worrying sign, and they might’ve turned back if not for the fact that the visions themselves were urging them into the rainforest. The edge of the forest was near, and the fog was laying heavy over the valleys.
As they stared up into the barely-lit gray sky, they thought over the events of the visions once again... and found they were still utterly confused.
Shakari let out a long sigh. What were they even supposed to find in the jungle? Why did the place keep showing up in seemingly unrelated visions? Why was Faulkron having visions all of a sudden? What did any of it mean? Too many questions, not enough answers. Internally cursing the Spirit’s cryptic habits, Shakari picked themself up from the ground, deciding that they might as well do something useful and hunt down breakfast.
She got up, heading to the edge of the camp. From there, she stalked the pre-dawn shadows for unsuspecting critters, focusing in on the hunt and attempting to rid thoughts of visions from her mind. Even as she moved among the trees, she could feel the doubts lingering at the back of her mind. She was distracted enough that she missed her first target entirely, and was forced to search the woods for her wayward hunting spear.
After finally finding it, she resumed her hunt, inching farther and farther away from the camp as she became more absorbed in escaping her thoughts.
Then, through the trees, they saw an okapi, grazing on the plants of the valley. It was not unusual for them to wander a little away from the jungle, but this one had chosen the wrong day to go exploring. Shakari readied their hunting spear, but just before they could hurl it at their prey, the creature shifted, walking forward and positioning itself behind a large tree, still entirely unaware but apparently very lucky.
Shakari growled quietly, moving back into the underbrush to get a better angle on the beast. This went on for a while, as Shakari quietly followed the apparently very flighty animal in its paths through the foliage. Finally, she had pursued it to the edge of a stream, and it had paused for a long drink. Now was her moment. She readied her javelin once again, preparing to strike. But in that moment, she hesitated, nostrils flared and ear-slits open. Something was off.
As she scanned the area again, she felt an uneasiness creep along her spine and settle into her gut. That’s when she noticed it: the okapi wasn’t actually drinking from the stream. It was only lowering its head near it and mimicking the motion. On the air hung a faint smell, a pungent undercurrent against the clear air of the woods: the scent of decay.
But before she could react to what she saw, she felt magic flow through the clearing. Ahead of her, the okapi began to burn from the inside. Plumes of dark gray smoke billowed away from it, searing the flesh away to reveal something beneath.
Shakari cursed, hurling her spear before the transformation could continue, but the spear simply lodged itself in the burning side of the creature. Its face, flesh receding to reveal the creature’s skull, turned toward her, smoke pouring from the eye sockets. Then the not-animal collapsed to the ground. Shakari growled, drawing her blade and summoning every ounce of magic she had, preparing for whatever the monstrosity she’d been unknowingly hunting would do next.
Crawling out of the haze was a hellish creature. It looked like a small ape, but Shakari knew it wasn’t one. Folded and bent on its back were ruined wings, and its fur was the color of the smoke that was filling the clearing. Its eyes were a bright, cruel red, and it regarded Shakari with a vicious, intelligent malice. A low rumble built in Shakari’s throat, every muscle tensing as she stared back at the monster. Never taking its eyes off of her, it crept slowly but steadily closer, barbed tail swishing behind it.
Then it grinned, awful and inhuman, eyes flashing crimson. In a flash of movement, it leaped at her, claws extended toward her throat.
She roared in response, exhaling and sending a bolt of lightning blasting the creature backwards into the stream. On contact with the water, the creature howled in pain, instantly leaping out of the creek.
It hissed at her, but she gave it no time to act. She leapt across the stream after it, slashing down with her sword. Her blade cut into flesh, but in place of blood she drew only wisps of smoke from the monster. The creature cackled, then swiped its claw through the air, sending the smoke swirling back around both itself and Shakari.
With another roaring exhale, she blew the smoke away, but the creature was gone, disappeared into the shadows of the woods.
They waited a few moments, searching their surroundings for any sign of the monster, but found none. Then her heart sank. She’d left her friends unguarded. Shakari began to sprint back to camp, adrenaline and electricity coursing through their veins in their haste.
•••
Faulkron had heard Shakari leave, roused from his light sleep by muttering and the rustling of gear. He hadn’t slept heavily that night, racing thoughts keeping him out of the deeper ends of unconsciousness. The early hours of the morning were in and out of sleep, and he knew Shakari was up, likely with a similar problem to his own. When she grabbed her spear and went hunting, he’d asked no questions, but taken it as a good reason to finally get up.
He wondered how often Shakari had visions like the other night, and if there was some correlation between their visions and their reasons for joining them. When he had left home he hadn’t expected he’d end up traveling with a prophetic dragonborn, but here he was.
Oh, how strange the path to glory is proving to be, he thought to himself.
As he prepared the fire for breakfast, his quiet contemplation was interrupted by a shuffling in the branches outside their campsite. Shakari couldn’t be back that soon... could she?
“Shakari? That you?” Faulkron called out.
There was no response.
Faulkron slowly reached over to his sword, grip firm on the hilt as he watched the brush for whatever unwanted visitor hid in there.
“Who’s th-“ he started to say. But before he could finish, a small mongoose popped out of the bushes; the source of the rustling.
Faulkron chuckled, relieved. “Oh. It’s just an animal.” It began to walk towards the camp, and he held himself still, not wanting to spook it. Once it had moved a little closer, and seemed comfortable with his presence, he spoke. “Hey little guy. Whatcha doin’ here?”
The mongoose looked up at him, cocking its head. “Talking to you,” it said, a small raspy voice echoing from its tiny mouth.
Faulkron blinked a few times in shock. Was he still asleep? Hallucinating?
“Did you just talk to me?”
“Yes. I’ve come to talk to you.”
Faulkron looked around him, but no one else had woken up. “No way. I’m imagining you, I have to be.”
“You’re not! I’m just as real as the rocks and trees, I’m afraid. I’ve come to guide you.”
Faulkron blinked a few times, but the creature didn’t disappear. “Alright, fine. I guess a magic mongoose isn’t the craziest thing I’ve seen so far. Guide me to what, though?”
“Your destiny!”
“That’s vague and unhelpful,” Faulkron said, unamused. At this point, he was more than tired of all the cloudy answers.
“And your current guide isn’t? The dragonborn with all the mysterious visions of cryptic futures? Please,” the mongoose chuckled, perching on a pile of rocks.
Faulkron felt suddenly defensive, though he wasn’t sure why. “Watch it,” he said, narrowing his eyes at the talking critter. “They’re my— I mean, I trust them.”
The mongoose put its tiny paws in the air. “I meant no offense! I’m only saying that your future isn’t with them. Your future is yours to seize! I’m here to help you capture it. All you have to do is follow me.”
Faulkron looked around at the others. They were still asleep, undisturbed by the conversation. As his eyes fell on Alejandro, lying peacefully nearby, something seemed to move and settle in him, like a gentle hand combing through soil.
“No.”
“What do you mean, ‘no’?” The mongoose hissed, leaning forward on the perch.
“I’m staying.” Faulkron said, finality resounding in his voice as he made eye contact with the creature.
“Fine. I’ll take you myself then,” the mongoose said, a sudden venom to its raspy voice. Smoke began to curl from the creature’s fur, a noxious cloud shrouding the rocks where it had been sitting.
“What the hells...” Faulkron muttered, grabbing his sword.
He quickly unsheathed it, but not fast enough to parry the barbed tail of the creature that leaped from the smoke. The barb sank into his shoulder, and it burned like twenty wounds. He cried out in pain, but the creature just latched onto him, hissing and clawing toward his chest and face.
Before the creature could attack him again, he locked his hand around its throat with a grunt. It squealed, trying to jab at him once more, but he held it away from his chest and threw it to the ground as hard as he could, shoulder still on fire. It slammed into the dirt with a thud, and while it was stunned, he took his chance, pinning its tail with his foot.
It struggled against him, clawing at the dirt and trying in vain to scramble away.
“No! How?!” It screeched and snarled at him, baring long fangs. “This isn’t supposed to happen! A thousand curses, you-“
Faulkron cut off its desperate wriggling by plunging his blade straight through its chest. As it squealed out its death throes, the tail twitched, and he twisted the blade for good measure. Smoke kept curling out of the creature, and before long most of its body had burned and boiled away until all that was left was blood-red ash and chunks of horrid flesh.
“What the fuck was that thing?” said a very grumpy-sounding Alejandro, walking over to look at the immolating carcass, clearly still groggy and definitely not happy about having been woken up.
“I have no clue,” Faulkron responded, still staring at the thing. He had thought at first that it might’ve been the sign he was supposed to be looking for from the man in his vision. Now that notion had been scattered, and Faulkron was unsure what to do as he stared down at the creature. What was left of it answered no questions; ragged wings, coarse fur, ape’s form, and vicious claws wasn’t exactly a common combination.
He’d never fought something like this before. Would there be more of them? What did it mean? And why did his shoulder hurt so damn bad- oh.
“Holy shit, you’re hurt,” Alejandro said, an almost frantic whisper overtaking his usual timbre. He moved Faulkron around to get a better look and gasped in horror. “Oh my gods, what is that stuff?”
Faulkron craned his neck to look at his shoulder, where he could see that the blood that seeped from the wound was quite literally boiling, pungent steam hissing off of it. Faulkron started to shrug, but the wound speared him with pain when he tried, and he quickly relaxed his shoulder again. “I dunno, probably some sort of poison-”
“Who’s poisoned? What’s happening?” Jetra said, sitting up. “Also, what’s that smell? Did Fuego eat too much again?”
“What? Huh? What’s going on, I’m awake, who needed me?” Fuego mumbled, popping up from his sleeping spot at the mention of his name.
“Both of you shut up and pay attention,” Alejandro hissed. “Faulkron got stabbed by some sort of scorpion-mammal monster thing, and it’s bad. Jetra, help? Fuego, keep an eye out for more.”
Fuego grabbed his sword, standing up on a rock to search the foliage around the camp even as he shook off a yawn. Jetra quickly got up and walked over to Faulkron as she grabbed her medicinal herb pouch, her face suddenly intense as she studied the wound. “Oh, gods. This isn’t a normal wound. This is... whoa. Yikes. Okay, okay,” she said, giving Faulkron a meaningful glance, “follow my instructions. I need you to hold still and think of something that means peace.”
Faulkron started to protest and question, but Jetra cut him off. “Just do it, man. I need something to focus the healing through. Memories and emotions are both easy and powerful focuses, but you gotta work with me.”
Faulkron sighed and nodded, closing his eyes and trying to find some sort of peace. Almost on instinct, he thought back to the moment before the thing attacked him, when he made the decision to stay: that settling, grounding, heavy calm that was still as nebulous as before.
When he opened his eyes again, the burning was gone. The wound was being bandaged and was still bleeding pretty badly, but the roiling venom was nowhere to be found.
Jetra gave him a small smile and gently patted him on the good shoulder. “See, wasn’t so bad, was it? Glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” she smiled. “I got your back.”
Faulkron felt that feeling creep up again, and as he looked around at his companions, he realized he had never been more sure of a decision before, and found himself smiling softly.
“Hey guys? Hate to interrupt but, uh... where’s Shakari?” Fuego asked from his perch, worry laced thick in his voice.
Faulkron’s spirit fell, his mind racing to concoct a thousand different dread answers to that question. He was about to respond when something came barreling through the growth.
“Look out!” Shakari yelled, brandishing her blade. “There’s-- ah.” She paused as she took in the site of the scuffle. “They already tried to ambush you?”
“Yeah,” Faulkron said, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, a little surprised at just how relieved he was to see Shakari okay. “Speaking of those things, since I guess you already know, what are they?”
Shakari’s battle stance faltered, and she deflated a little. “I wish I could tell you. The only thing I know is they aren’t natural,” they said, panting slightly.
Faulkron grunted in agreement, and the others began hastily breaking camp. He wondered if the old man from his vision could tell him what the creatures were.
“Do you think more will come, Shakari?”
Shakari sighed, tearing her eyes away from the shadows of the wood behind them to meet his.
“I don’t know, but it’s likely. Creatures like that don’t just attack for no reason.”
“So something bigger is happening here?”
“It would seem so.”
“Ugh, great. Well, they weren’t so tough this time, let’s hope it stays that way,” he said, taking one last look at the spot where the thing had died. “And we should stick together. No more solo hunts.”
“Agreed,” Shakari said, a look of deep contemplation set into their features. “Thankfully, we are heading into Azeria. We may be able to figure out what these things are there.”
Faulkron nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking. We need to find the man from my vision. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the vision had things chasing me, and then for us to be ambushed like this…” he trailed off, letting Shakari infer the rest of what he meant.
Their eyes flashed with grave understanding, and with a nod they all set off toward the jungle.
•••
They arrived at the rainforest around midday, cresting the final hilly remnants of the valley and staring through the low fog out over a sea of dense verdant green. As they pushed into the edges of the forest, the grasping walls of the jungle began to stretch into the hills, until the last visions of the rocky valley were lost to the brush and branches of the Unandi.
Even as they delved into the forest itself, they kept their eyes scanning the terrain behind them. Yet still they saw only the calm of the valley and the silence of the foggy trees. And in the back of their minds, they knew that calm was much more sinister than it appeared. Something was hiding there, following them; something truly wicked, waiting with claws outstretched for them to let their guard down just once.
Part 8 | Part 10
Off to the Peach farm
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Frae (unicorn) belongs to @ask-tay-relic
