*casually pukes out a february prompt from @downwithwritersblock*
Note: this does have some romance and pining! This is a couple that doesn’t really show up in Signature Powers except for Rose pining so this is I guess me messing around and seeing if I wanna make it canon!
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“Okay, take a deep breath,” Rose murmured as she watched Amber stare down the bundles of medicine and little wooden boxes. Amber had killed men twice her size, carried Rose over her shoulder, and yet she looked at the boxes as if they posed an insurmountable obstacle.
“I’m going to crush them.” Amber’s voice was quiet, small, and afraid.
“It’s alright, it’s just Crescentroot. Niko grows them all the time. He’s got plenty more in storage, and, um, well, he can, you know. Grow them. Same for the boxes, they’re easy to make. Well he doesn’t grow those, but…you know what I mean.” Even after being around Amber for quite a while, Rose couldn’t stop rambling. Niko was the only one who she could really keep some semblance of composure around, and it didn’t help that Rose seemed to be physically incapable of sitting around Amber without turning bright red.
But Amber seemed to enjoy her company, meaning that she’d have plenty of practice.
As Amber started to pack the box, her hands were actually shaking. She picked up the dried roots as if they were as fragile as a feather, and placed one bundle in the nearest box. “See, it’s not so…” Amber picked up the top of the box, set it in place, and crushed it in an attempt to fit it neatly on top. “Okay, we’ll try again.”
“Rose, you’re not gonna make me gentle. I’m never gonna be normal. I’ll never be…I’ll never be able to be tender, I’m just…” Amber would have bit the bottom of her lip, Rose could see her fighting the impulse, but she was likely too afraid even to do that. Her fists clenched, she looked everywhere but at Rose. And for once in her life…Rose was able to figure out something to say.
“Amber, I’m not trying to make you gentle. I’m…trying to show you that you are gentle. You convince yourself you’re a brute, but I want to show you that you aren’t. I’m not changing, I’m just…well…showing you? What’s already there?” For a moment, Amber froze, her face stony and unreadable. But then, almost mechanically, she set a box aside, rested her elbow on the table, and reached across for Rose. Shakily but tenderly, she brushed a lock of hair out of Rose’s face, and that absolutely undid any composure Rose might have had. See? You can be gentle, she wanted to say, but in that moment, she just sat there, mouth hanging a bit open.
“Did I hurt you? Did I…”
Rose shook her head, taking Amber’s hand reassuringly. “No, no, I just…words. Are hard.”
“I get that,” Amber chuckled. “I…I’m still worried. About hurting you.” But as she said it, she placed a lid on the small herb box and set it to the side.
“It’s okay. I’m still…a mess. We can work through things. It takes time. But we can do it.” And then Amber gave Rose such an absolutely radiant smile, that Rose knew that this was just more than being a disaster. Things weren’t perfect and natural like they were with Niko, she and Amber definitely needed to work. But…Rose could work toward things that she loved.
And she was beginning to realize that Amber was one of them.
REMEMBER HOW I SAID IT’S BODY HORROR TIME (Also known as a kinda sorta NaNo update)
TW for body horror. In case it wasn’t. Obvious lol
Tagging @goose-books @jordanprose @ajaroflightningbugs @ditzysworld, please skip if body horror type stuff bothers you! Also fair warning this is completely unedited so please be gentle!
Rather than reply to the bandits, Rose concentrated, looked within herself…and then the transformation began.
First, the changing of her spine and hips—easily the most painful part of the transformation. Rose’s world went white as she was forced onto all fours and her bones rotated in their sockets. It wasn’t a smooth process—as it happened, she could feel the skin stretching and the bones grinding against each other. The first few times it had happened, she’d screamed bloody murder. Now, she gritted her teeth as hard as she could, suppressing a groan. Rose’s shoulders shoved themselves forward and out of their sockets before the rest of her body could quite catch up, but eventually, it did, and she stood on four legs. Vaguely, she heard people gasping. The change felt horrific, but for how horrific it felt, she had to imagine it looked even worse for those who weren’t used to it.
Her fingers shrunk and her wrists stiffened as thick, calloused skin grew onto what were now her paws. Her face was suddenly pushed forward unceremoniously as her very skull changed position, the skin stretching. Between all those sensations, it was almost impossible to feel the hair sprouting out of her skin, but what few bits of it she could feel, felt like fire ants crawling all over her skin. And then the teeth—her gums ached as her teeth grew, sharpened, elongated.
Then came the sensory changes. She could smell everything, all at once—Niko’s familiar scent, tinged with the herbs that he always worked with, the light perfume of Serilee and by extension Vandita. The soap that everyone had used, the animals all around, the stench of bandits who hadn’t been out of the woods in a long time…it rushed to her all at once. At first it made her nose burn, but within moments, it simply became a way to navigate. She could hear so many smaller sounds in the forest, and a scene that had formerly been silent became filled with noises in registers that she wasn’t quite used to hearing. And as she forced her eyes open, the world was dimmer, in less color, and a bit fuzzier around the edges. But she didn’t take long to adjust.
No matter how many times she shifted, being an animal never felt wrong or foreign. It felt like simply slipping into a new skin.
Everything manages to happen, all at once. And there is nothing but fear.
Trigger warnings for: lightning strikes, possession, major injury, language.
Then the man grabbed at his head. Gil was standing, unaware of anything around him, eyes closed. Something was happening in the man’s mind, something painful, and Gil was causing it. Amber whipped around, finished with the man who could control fire, started to come after the lightning man…and then a bolt of lightning arced toward Gil. He wasn’t looking, he was trusting someone else to be a distraction. Niko couldn’t do anything in time, there wasn’t anyone close enough…and then Codell leapt toward Gil, shoving him out of the way. The lightning was a desperate attack, one that was a last-ditch, concentrated effort, and it threw Codell all the way into the river. He was too stunned to swim, and within a minute, he sank like a rock.
“Shit!” Hikari yelled, and immediately jumped back in the river. Amber took the opportunity to lift the man into the air and slam him into the ground. Niko didn’t bother to see what happened after that—he just ran to the river and plunged a hand in once he managed to get ahead of Codell and Hikari. Hikari shoved Codell at him, and Niko started to pull Codell out. In a moment, Hikari had managed to get out of the water and was helping pull Codell to shore, and Niko was checking vitals.
“He’s not breathing,” Niko reported, and put an ear to his chest. “Heartbeat’s there, but it’s not strong.” He pulled Codell’s shirt up and saw what almost looked like burn marks that would definitely scar, spiderwebbing across his chest.
“Can you do something? Anything?” Hikari demanded.
“Rose, grab my kit. I’ll see what I can do.” Niko heard Rose reaching into his pack, and he started to do chest compressions to attempt to regulate the heartbeat and get it going how it was supposed to. But he was stopped by a tap on his shoulder from Seri.
“Let me,” they murmured.
“But doesn’t your magic…” Niko began.
“I don’t think we have time to worry,” Seri insisted. And sure enough, as Niko looked at Codell, he knew she was right. He couldn’t survive without breathing much longer, and his heartbeat was slowly stopping. Once that happened, he was beyond anything Niko could do.
But he had no clue how powerful Seri’s magic was. It was Codell’s best chance.
Niko nodded and moved aside, and Seri knelt next to Codell. She closed her eyes, and in a moment, silver magic snaked from her fingertips around Codell’s torso, wrapping around him. He practically glowed, it went beneath his skin, and illuminated the lighting scars, turning them into a haunting art piece on his chest. It took a long, long moment, with the magic weaving in and out and through Codell’s whole body, but eventually, the passage of the magic from Seri to Codell ceased, and Codell’s chest slowly began to rise and fall again. Niko knelt next to him and put an ear back to his chest.
“His heartbeat’s back to normal,” he reported, voice shaking. This was…beyond what he could have even imagined. Codell had been, quite literally, on the verge of death, and this magic had ended up bringing him back. But as he was finishing up examining Codell, he heard a scuffle behind him.
“Amber!” Vandita gasped. When Niko turned, he found Seri, a knife in her hand, being pinned to the ground by Vandita and struggling. Her eyes were not their normal brown—they were almost milky white, haunting as she looked around, seeming to see everything. And her struggles…Vandi was having trouble pinning her down, which didn’t make sense. Vandi was taller than their sister, more well-muscled, better trained, and had the advantage of their whole weight on their sister. And yet, it looked like Seri might manage to get Vandi off.
Amber jumped in and knelt down next to Vandi. “I’m gonna put her in a choke hold and hope that’ll get her to pass out.”
“What?! No!” Vandi gasped. But Seri managed to throw them off, and if Amber hadn’t jumped in at that second…the unearthly speed with which Seri had moved might have meant she could do serious damage. Immediately, Amber knelt on Seri’s hands, and pressed her throat. Seri gasped for breath, not finding it, and in a few moments, as her struggles weakened, her eyes faded back to brown for just a moment before she passed out entirely.
“Damn it,” Vandi murmured, their hands shaking. That single word seemed to sum up everyone’s sentiments, and Vandi aggressively rubbed at their eyes. They knelt next to their sister, feeling for a pulse. When they presumably found one, they held her hand tightly and worriedly bit their lip.
“Hey. It’s fine. She saved Codell. And if this happens again, I’ll just do the same thing. It’s fine,” Amber repeated. Vandi nodded, but it didn’t seem as if they really believed it. “Here. Town isn’t that far. I can carry her.”
“What about Codell?” Hikari began. But just as they said it, Codell gasped in another breath and coughed, eyes opening very slowly. Immediately, Niko turned back to Codell.
“How do you feel?” he asked, with Hikari translating. It took Codell a moment to sit up, but with weak, shaking hands, he seemed to sign back.
“I think he’s saying he feels dizzy, but okay. His signs are really shaky,” Hikari reported after a second.
“Okay. Codell, can I have your hand?” After Hikari translated, Codell nodded, and Niko felt for his pulse. It was definitely too fast, which would account for the shakiness, but that likely could be attributed to whatever his body had just gone through between the lightning strike and the healing. “Alright. This is doable. He’ll be fine,” Niko told Hikari, who was still looking Codell over with a look of concern. Then, Niko rummaged through his pack and found a small vial. It was intended for patients whose heartbeat was irregular, but it would work in this situation—it relaxed the heartbeat and steadied it a little. “Here, drink this. It should help with the sensation fairly quickly.” Codell nodded, and after Niko uncapped the vial, Codell drank.
It took a moment, but Codell’s shaking ceased just the smallest amount. “Thank you,” Codell signed to Niko—it was a sign that Niko had managed to remember.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, watching Hikari for the sign and mimicking it back.
“Okay, I’ll carry Seri. Let’s get the fuck into town,” Amber proposed.
“That’s a good idea,” Niko replied. He reached out an arm to Codell as he stood, and Codell took it to steady himself. With Hikari on his other side, he seemed as if he was stable enough to walk the rest of the way without too much worry. Amber had lifted Seri over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and Vandi hovered right next to her, watching their sister like a hawk. Worry was written all over their face. Rose just stayed next to Niko, taking his herbalism pack and carrying it gently. And Gil…Gil was watching Codell, with worry and guilt.
It was only a mile or so until the next town. But that mile was going to feel like a long time, Niko reflected, as everyone looked around, on edge for when the next attack would come.
Can the strongest in battle protect what she loves most?
TW for language, and mild description of blood/injury.
“So…this is an arena?” Rose asked, sounding stunned. Amber didn’t bother responding—of course it was an arena, that’s why they were there. These two idiots definitely seemed not used to cities, and Amber wasn’t crazy about the idea of traveling with them. They honestly seemed like dead weight. But Gil was adamant that it would be a good idea, and…as much as Amber hated to admit it, the effects that her contracts had on her body was less than desirable. Breaking them might be a good idea, and even if she decided not to, at least she’d know how to so the bastards who conned her into contracts with their fucking fast talk wouldn’t have so much power over her. Always an advantage.
After a moment of silence, Amber finally decided to nod. “And you compete?” Rose continued. “Fighting?”
“Yep. Me and other people with contracts.”
“What happens…if you lose?” Niko chimed in.
“Never found out,” Amber scoffed. “This is as far as you guys go. Only competitors come past here. Probably best if none of you watch if you’re squeamish.”
“I was thinking I’d go see if I can hear any contractors,” Gil began, “but it’d be best if someone came with me. Since I think all the powerful ones are going to the same place. It wouldn’t be ideal if something went wrong though, I’m not…the best fighter, and I sometimes get overwhelmed if there’s a lot going on, so it’d, um…would one of you come with?”
Niko nodded. “I think we can both come with. How long does this usually take?” Amber shrugged.
“Really depends. I’m not first, so depends on how fast the people before me are and how much blood they feel like cleaning up, if they even do that here.” She ignored the looks of worry on everyone’s faces, even Gil’s, and walked into the back area of the arena. She gave the guard her name, they let her through into the waiting room. It was full of people, most of them twice her size who glared down at her and almost seemed apt to laugh. Amber simply ignored them. If they wanted to make conversation, they could—and Amber didn’t mind conversation with people who weren’t threatening Gil.
After all…conversation made her not focus on the five million thoughts and worries fighting to be heard. It was just easier to ignore them when she was doing something.
Practice wasn’t really an option, since the area wasn’t large, and surprise was her biggest advantage. Looking like a tiny girl who had no business in an arena was vital; it was much easier to get the first blow when the other person was practically laughing at her, getting ready for a showy, cocky blow. And whoever took the first blow tended to be the one to lose. And Amber absolutely would not lose.
It didn’t take long at all for her name to be called—the people before her seemed to have quick matches. One of them ended with one victorious, and one very bloodied person heading back in shame. The other, much more chillingly, ended with nothing of the sort. Only one person came back, silent, blood all over him, and then…nothing. That was the longest wait—the wait to see if a corpse would come back. Amber didn’t manage to see it if it did. For most people it would be a jarring shock.
Unfortunately, Amber knew it all too well. But she wouldn’t be in that situation. She didn’t sign all those contracts for nothing. She would be safe. She’d be safe for Gil. That was what was important.
———
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Amber emerged from the ring victorious. She definitely had a few scratches and a pretty nasty bruise on the side of her cheek, and was absolutely exhausted, but she was victorious. And when she emerged from the arena, everyone was there already, waiting for her.
“Hey, how did it go?” Gil asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Tired, but nothing I can’t handle,” she told him with a crooked smile. Niko was looking at her intensely as she said that, and she absolutely hated it. “What the hell are you staring at?”
“I can heal your wounds if you want. I’m an herbalist, I can help the swelling on your cheek go down, and maybe get you to heal faster.”
“That might be a good idea,” Gil added.
“It’s fine, I heal fast,” Amber dismissed. “So, what did you guys find?”
“Well, all the contractors are all meeting up in Betewsy. And they’re going to talk about what powers are where, I think. Something about where the most power is? It seems like they keep track of the people who they have powers contracted out to. I think this is more than we might have planned for,” Gil murmured.
“I’ve heard that people with powerful contracts tend to die sooner,” Amber sighed. “This had better not fucking be a thing.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Gil said. “I’ve told you everything that I know.”
“I’m not a huge help about what’s been going on with people with contracts, I’ve been in the woods most of the time,” Rose added.
“Yeah. I’ve just been working on herbal remedies, I’ve rarely worked with the people who are contracted.” Niko chimed in.
“Well, if we go to Betewsy, we’ll find out.” Amber sheathed her sword and looked around. But before she could go anywhere, Gil set a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
“You should get some rest. You just had a battle, you shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard.”
“I agree,” Niko said. “Here, I can look over your wounds just to make sure they do heal right, if you want me to. It could be a big help.”
Amber just sighed, ignoring Niko. “I’ll be fine. You can if it’d make you feel better, but it really isn’t necessary.”
“Well, it would make me feel better.” Amber shook her head.
“Fine, if it means that much to you, I’ll rest.” But just as she said that, she noticed Rose’s head snapped up as she looked at someone next to them. Amber immediately grabbed her weapon and whipped around, ready for a fight.
Oh my gosh I’m so. Excited! Thank you for the ask??? you made my day??? you made my life???
Cleric: What does your character place their faith in?
Brief worldbuilding---the gods exist in Lerisea (the world of Signature Powers), but people don’t tend to try and communicate or do things for them? Like a minority does, but most people regard them as entities who do what they want and can’t really be appealed to. Like what happens, happens, with the gods. They do what they will, and humans cope with the results. There’s a lot of faith in the power of humans to be resilient and powerful.
So it makes sense that Rose places her faith in herself, and in Niko (who is sort of an extension of herself, since he has a part of her soul?) Later on she also puts her faith in her friends. But she’s actually one of my more confident characters--she knows what she’s good at, and she’s confident about being good at it. When she’s travelling in the forest, she relies on herself and herself alone to get where she’s going, and she loves that autonomy.
