I recorded a gameplay video of Heliotrope Journey: Son of a Hustler's Chapter 4 for my main channel and noticed a few minor errors and an oversight in the credits where Benjamin was not listed. The typos and a grammatical mistake in Lolatasha's dialogue has since been fixed, but a thorough update will be coming by the end of the year. When you return to Krasbeck's bar after we roll it, you'll encounter a new patron that likes her whiskey sour the way she likes her friends. What would be a good flavor to describe cancelled, though? Lime? Grapefruit? Sauerkraut? Granny smith apple? Or maybe parsley?
Meanwhile, in the future, Treyton transcribes a new entry in his journal about his travels to Teodosie on All Saints’ Day night. Click on the links below to read the previous pages. Photo by ELAINE CAITANO on Unsplash.
“We barely survived that disfigured monster.” Treyton told his friends as they walked down the darkened streets of Teodosie in a daze. “I’ve seen what black magic does to a person, but the thought of this demon being human once is scary enough to haunt my nightmares if I go back to sleep.”
“We still don’t have the luxury of resting.” Amanda said woefully. “We need to keep in mind that three solomonaris-in-training are still after you three.” Miron shot his human friend an urgent look that signaled him to hide the philosopher’s stone in his robes.
“Do you know what time is it until sunrise?” Treyton asked. “It could not come any sooner. Then those hoodlums would lose their powers and get expelled from Scholomance.”
“You’re gravely misinformed if you assume getting expelled meant the students in questions can just walk off campus.” Amanda reached into her pocket for a pineapple gourmet lollipop. “One of the condemned that I bumped into the Circle of Hersey is suspected to have been a former student. Based on his account, anyway.”
“Was he a witness to one expulsion, Amanda?” Miron asked him.
“No, he was the individual expelled.” Amanda pulled out a grape gourmet lollipop. “Would you like one?”
“Of course.” Treyton took it and sucked on it. “I need something sweet to get me through the next couple of hours.”
“Actually, the lollipops are sour.” Amanda said. “Never sweet. Ingesting it all at once could burn a hole in your esophagus. Take your time with it.”
“He seems to be tasting it alright.” Miron pointed out. “For a super acidic lollipop like that, he doesn’t mind it.”
“The lollipops can still sting your tongue.” Amanda reached into her pocket for a blood-flavored lollipop. “A few small licks at a time is probably safe. When the sensation wears off, the aftertaste is out of this world. It’s so savory you’d want another even if your tongue is partly dissolved. I have this specially-made lollipop mixed with human blood and sugar cane just for you in case you’re thirsty.”
“You sure it’s not gonna kill my tongue, lady?” Miron joked. Amanda laughed.
“I’m sure.” She answered. “I said it was mixed with sugarcane, not acid.” Miron took the lollipop and licked it.
“Thanks.” He nodded. “I don’t feel any missing taste buds. But anyway, what were you saying about the expelled solomonari student?”
“He said that one of the occultists that taught a course brought him before Bael.” Amanda answered. “Lucifer is the head of the Scholomance, but as you know, his physical body is bound to Lake Cocytus from the waist down so Bael runs the school on his behalf. Reading and speaking Enochian was one of his weaknesses. That teacher didn’t tolerate his abysmal marks so he told Bael he could no longer teach him. Bael deemed to be better suited as a gremlin and sent him out into Târgoviște to wreak as much havoc as possible to divide the populace, rendering them vulnerable to an incoming invasion Dracula had planned for years since his first defeat. A descendant of a knight that betrayed him caught the gremlin minutes into the attack and killed him. He was sentenced to the Circle of Hersey where I eventually found him.” Treyton, Miron, and Mitica looked at Amanda in disbelief. Mitica had his mouth open in shock. He wondered what could make a devil so cruel that he’d rob a student of his humanity over failing a language class.
“Could that happen to the three students that are after us?” Treyton asked her. “Are they also going to turn into gremlins and sent to scheme on tormenting us night and day?”
“My guess is as good as yours.” Amanda licked her pineapple gourmet lollipop. “Bael is the most dangerous, crafty dark sorcerer to walk on the Earth’s soil. He punishes insubordinate students to amuse himself. He doesn’t care if they were academically gifted or got on his good side once before; the slightest infraction could shift that opinion in an instant. In some ways, I think the three students tracking us down are afraid of him.”
“The time went by so much tonight that I feel like the dawn will greet us at any minute.” Treyton commented with a hopeful tone on his face. “I need to know how long it will be-.”
“Shoot! Hold that thought!” Amanda held her arms out to get the boys to stop walking. They looked straight ahead to find a girl in an orange jack-o’lantern-themed dress providing Homer with a gourmet lollipop. Treyton took the philosopher’s stone from Mitica and hid it in his pocket, worried that it would catch Homer’s eye.
“Speaking of the devil and I mean that literally,” Treyton said. “We need to walk down another street. I’m not sure that we’re ready for another fight so soon.”
“What difference would it make?” Amanda asked cautiously. “We’re in his line of vision so he’s going to corner us anyway.” The girl in front of them handed Homer a blue raspberry-flavored gourmet lollipop.
“I have a treat for you, sir.” She told him politely. Homer smirked.
“Aren’t you a darling little girl?” he asked her. “Confectionery is difficult to come by when I’m studying.” He licked the lollipop and let a satisfactory hum. Just when he was about to take another lick, he glanced at Treyton, Mitica, Miron, and Amanda. Frowning, he tried to step toward them, but the little girl shoved the lollipop down his throat, causing him to fall to the ground in agony. She runs toward the group to greet Amanda.
“I’ve given you and your new friends time to run away, Amanda.” She told him. “Use it now!” The boys ran down the street ahead of them. Amanda shook the girl’s hand.
“Brilliant move, Jacqueline.” She smiled. “I was hoping you’d be nearby.”
“I’m actually glad we bumped into each other.” Jacqueline replied. “It won’t be long before dawn and we’re both forced to go home, but if these boys are in trouble, that means solomonaris are sneaking about.”
“That takes care of one.” Amanda admitted. “But let’s hurry and catch up with the boys. We can’t predict if the other two will ambush them and if we’re not by their side, they’ll risk losing the philosopher’s stone.” Jacequline’s eyes widened with interest.
“Please tell me everything on our way.” She said. “We’ll need more than lollipops to keep that stone from falling into Bael’s clutches.” She runs after Treyton, Mitica, and Myron to catch up with them. Amanda closed her eyes and smiled.
“Now I can’t wait until I feed him one just to see that sucker’s reaction.” She licked her pineapple gourmet lollipop before running down the street as well. The acid from the lollipop burned a hole through Homer’s throat, rendering him unconscious. A cloaked occultist shows up to the scene a couple minutes later to pick him up. It is with great certainty that Bael would not be lenient on the unlucky solomonari-in-training and that is with the assumption he’ll still be one.
We hope you enjoy this entry in this All Saint’s Day mini-series and have a splendid week ahead.
Sincerely,
WN
P.S.: The most bizarre part of today was that in a panic, I thought I deleted that entry by accident while tossing out unneeded files from my documents folder last night and when I came home from work, I checked Microsoft Word in a panic and to my relief, it was still here. It’s a reason why organization is essential as a writer.
We’ve had a turbulent Halloween week and the next few days or possibly the rest of the year will be more so as inclusivity and respect are being abandoned in favor of barbarism and division. The Dark Lord’s magic have tainted the hearts of people that see celebrities as gods that can make no mistake (not that they’re allowed to anyway) and con men as saints sent from heaven. How did we reach that unthinkable point in history?
Index of Treyton's All Saints' Day Quest for Readers That Aren't Caught Up;
Over a year ago, the Dark Lord was castrated by a swordswoman that stood between him and Caspian Academy. She ensured that he will never wield the power he once had again by disposing of his remains in the Atlantic. It seemed that the magical and mortal worlds can finally live in harmony like it did during the days of the Paleolithic. Students from the Caspian Academy could not wait to venture into the Lachrymose Blood Forest to frolic and study magic outside the bounds of a classroom. If the Dark Lord’s remains are disposed of in an abyss where the Veiled Nocturne could not hope to retrieve them, why aren’t the professors celebrating? Why can darkness still be felt in the blustery wind? When Dracula bled to his demise, the black magic he had acclimated for centuries didn’t fade out of existence. It sought out a new host; one that would run for president and claim the White House as if it were a pile of gold waiting to be claimed. This leader would become the instigator of a war that forced the human race to begin civilization anew.
It took thirty years and Dracula suffering a subsequent defeat for a group of rogue Freedom Fighters to overthrow the leader. The magic he had inherited from its previous wielder had severely disfigured his body like it was a flesh eating virus, but it isn’t killing him. It drove him into insanity and the magic that obliterated his humanity is keeping him alive even now. He was taken across the Atlantic to be locked away in a dainty closet at a university in Teodosie. Overtime, he was forgotten by his captors, but the threads that bind him are everlasting. He had two disembodied skeletal hands that he can move with his mind. They could go where he could not. This technique is his only means to explore the world outside the closet. One night, the hands found a shadow stone in the chapel next door and upon seeing it, he devised a plan to escape. He would use the stone in an attempt to weaken the threads just enough for him to free himself. Before he could begin his first attempt, four unlucky adventurers found themselves in the closet after walking through a secret passageway.
Treyton, Mitica, and Miron screamed at the sight of the madman while Amanda was immediately regretful. She cussed herself for taking the boys down a wrong passageway. She forgot that there was a fork in the passageway and it was too dark for anyone to notice. The bounded skeletal creature laughed manically. He was ecstatic to see four unwilling visitors in his presence and decided it would be most appropriate for him to seal their souls in the shadow stone, converting them into pure dark energy necessary to evaporate the threads to free himself. The young boys were determined to break the stone into tiny pieces so they armed themselves right away. Amanda was frozen for another moment before she squeezed her fists and her daggers materialized. She looked at the madman straight in the eye, whispered, "Get away from them, Hanns", and threw a dagger straight toward his forehead. All that filled the room was the laughter of a man that was cursed to inherit Dracula’s power.
Thank you for playing the Heliotrope Journey series as always and try to have a good week.
[Verse 1]
Where did they go
The ones I know
Here one minute, gone the next
And now I’m all alone
The time moved slow
But where’d it go
I swear I’m just a kid but all the
Kids say that I’m old
[Chorus]
Guess I’m growing up
Ooh we’re growing up
[Verse 2]
Used to play with toys
Those little joys
Now my friends are hooked on drugs
And nicotine and boys
We got no choice
Got no voice
Corrupted by…
The Halloween we all know and love has disappeared for another year and today marks the celebration of All Saints Day aka the Scholomance’s Admission Day. While this ominous day is no concern to Frederick and co., in Treyton's era, it is a day witches and wizards fear most besides Friday the 13th. Not only does this day bring back memories of the persecution their ancestors suffered during the European witch trials, but parents of magic practitioners that have come of age fear that the Veiled Nocturne would come to whisk them away to the Scholomance. Most glamorized by the idea of being taught ancient magic and long-forgotten pagan traditions come along with the admission staff and occultists willingly. Some are taken by force if a witch or wizard is prophesized to one day succeed Vlad Tepes and eventually help Gaea free the Titans from Tartarus. Once a pupil is admitted to this secretive school, there is no dropping out without the permanent loss of their magic.
Confused about the events leading up to Treyton's visit to the graveyard in Teodosie? Check out last year's post before you read the short story below. ;) Photo by Adam Ling on Unsplash.
Treyton and his new companion, Mitica, have narrowly escaped the rogue pupils of the Scholomance. The sun has risen, but it was to their dismay that their pursuers have not lost their powers. The boys have been given the entire day to seek out Mitica's comatose friend. The air was slightly cool and the sun was bright. Treyton wasn't so sure if this fireball in the sky is enough to keep a child of the night from setting foot. After all, he recalled that he was forced to contain with a vampiric baron that led the invasion on his hometown unfazed by the natural light. In the afternoon, a scarecrow in a pumpkin patch found at the town square presented the boy with a beacon; . It is an old battleaxe enchanted with a combination of fire magic from the scarecrow's campfire and earth magic preserved from a harvest moon that transpired the month before. Treyton kept an iron grip on the axe and thought to himself, "Now the impudent solomonaris-in-training will rue crossing paths with me tonight." Sadly, Treyton must not let his newfound arrogance go to his head. The time between dawn and dusk has also bought his rivals time to prepare for their second encounter. Mitica reassured Treyton he will do his part and find a suitable weapon as soon as he knows his friend will be okay.
So the boys enter the catacombs through a hidden door presumed to lead to a deserted alchemy shop. The catacombs are not usually frequented by average visitors, though it is the best route to travel from the town to the graveyard. Witches and wizards that practice shadow magic may also visit to either conduct seances for noble purposes like contacting their loved ones from beyond the grave or sinister intentions like summoning a nether creature that would help its master enact merciless vengeance. According to Mitica, it would not be safe for him to leave his friend out in the open. Treyton's suspicions heightened slightly. It is reasonable to hide a friend who is on the run, but why out of all places must he select the catacombs? He wanted to grab the Philosopher's stone and run, but all he could do was follow Mitica to a secluded room hidden by a redwood shelf of shrunken goblin heads. He moved the shelf to the side and kindly allowed Treyton to be the first to set foot inside. He nodded his head and spotted a child no older than Mitica sleeping on a decrepit-looking iron bed surrounded by lit candles. Treyton spots the child's pale skin and draws his axe at him immediately. Mitica stood in Treyton's way, asking him, "What do you think you're doing? We're not in danger." Treyton sighs anxiously and admits that he is scared that if the vampire boy wakes from his coma, he leap out of the bed and bite his neck. Treyton expected Mitica to banish him from the room after a heated brawl and forbid him from returning to the city, but he looked at him and laughed. Clearly, he has had that happen before because why else would he take it as a joke?
Mitica brewed the famed Elixir of Life in a brass cauldron using a carved wooden spoon with carvings of a wolf's face. He assured the flabbergasted Treyton that his vampiric friend is approachable to humans and although he is unsure how long he had been amongst the living for, he has not let his bad experiences with vampire hunters deter his compassion for them. Treyton finds it difficult to believe, but then again, his brother is also a vampire so who is he to question another's perception of the world? Mitica completes the elixir and feeds it to his friend. Treyton asks if he can have the stone now that he's done using it as the main ingredient. Mitica froze, took a deep breath that seemed like it lasted a full minute, and told Treyton, "I can't. He refuses to draw blood from man and animal. As a small child, I salvaged a note from one of the solomonaris-in-training to advance my studies without being taken to that dreadful school. This note states that the Elixir of Life can provide a vampire the same nutrients they receive from our blood. My friend still has a strong urge to drink my blood, but he trained himself to resist his instincts. The longer he goes without feeding, the harder it becomes to control. It's like a tasteless candy you swallow to calm your thoughts so you don't take them out on the people around you." "I don't know if that's how medication works." Treyton told him. "I'm not a doctor." "Neither am I, but the advice written in that note is what keeps my friend from involuntarily trying to kill me." Mitica closes his eyes. "I'm sorry, buddy. You're going to get your own." Treyton's heart sank just as the vampire child woke from his coma.
He rubbed his eyes and embraced Mitica. After speaking a tearful few words, the latter formally introduced him to Treyton. The vampire child shook the boy's hand and told him his name; Miron. Treyton tried to make conversation to take his mind off his disappointment and concern that he might be attacked, but he couldn't hide it very well judging from his tone. Miron asked Mitica, "I sense gloom in his voice. What's with him?" Mitica answers his question by regaling him with a story about the events from the previous night and their sightseeing in Teodosie. Miron looked at Treyton carefully. The visitor must be some kind of spy or a young vampire hunter looking to gain respect from his elders by slaying his first creature of the night. He is partially correct because of his alliance with the Resistance back in Norsdale, but Miron decided to give him a chance. Most vampire hunters would not kill the undead for no reason. They take their profession seriously for it is their sacred duty to protect the helpless from the Veiled Nocturne. Miron suggested searching the graveyard for another Philosopher Stone. Treyton initially declines due to the popular belief that only one such stone exists, but Miron hushes him by putting his finger in his mouth. Miron reveals that any alchemist can create a philosopher's stone, but it takes tremendous patience and decades of study. Those that have made successful attempts have spent their entire lives getting it right the first time.
"Being a vampire has its advantages, bro." Miron told Treyton. "You know where to find something that people nowadays would claim are mere myths. We're more useful to you than you think." Treyton scoffed at the thought of a vampire aiding a human with seeking out forgotten artifacts, but without allowing the boys to help him, his mission would be incomplete. He'd stuck in Teodosie for God knows how long and odds are he might mistake a common ruby for the Philosopher's Stone. Mayor Adrianus would be displeased with such poor judgment. The look on Professor Onionhead's face would be less reassuring either. If more than one Philosopher's Stone exists, clearly, the Veiled Nocturne can make more. The note Mitica salvaged hinted that an entire course taught at the Scholomance covers specific instructions on how to create this legendary crystal. Solomonaris tend to live forever so of course, they'd have all the time in the world to give themselves the means to better serve Mother Earth. With no other option available for Treyton, he accepts Miron's help and three boys travel to the graveyard together.
Once they set foot into the sun, Treyton turned to Miron and ask, "I was told by your friend that vampires have a powerful instinct to drain the blood from living creatures, yet you've resisted for as long as you were immortal. What keeps you from giving in?" Miron approaches a gravestone with his name on it. Treyton alleges that he carved it himself to deter the townsfolk from looking for him, but he is in no mood to pry. Miron look at him and answers, "It's about choice. My transformation was forced on me, but I have control over my bloodlust just as well as the other vampires can keep their emotions in check. It's a curse I don't want to burden someone else with. Mitica was there for me ever since we met and he always treated me the same as when I was alive. I contemplated returning the favor by turning him so that we would always be together, but I never go through it. I always tell myself that I'll only turn him if he wants me to and he's aware of the risks that go with being a creature like me. He'll always be in my heart even if I stay a child forever while he grows old and I watch his corpse rot. I'll eventually be the last of this village and be all alone, but at least, its people will die happy. I don't want my curse to be another's struggle." Treyton closes his eyes and nods his head. He gives Miron his condolences and apologizes for assuming he belonged to a coven. The vampiric boy laughs it off and elbows Treyton. Mitica glances at the two sharing this moment and smiles, happy to have made a good friend in the anxious boy. Treyton and Miron rejoin their companion and search the graveyard for a second philosopher stone. Treyton's contentment gradually turned to consternation when he noticed that the sun was setting and he spotted a Marzanna Acolyte and a pumpkin golem observing them. It would be a matter of minutes before Homer, Rhodes, and Hedi return to finish the work they began the All Hallows' Eve night he arrived in Wallachia.
Title: Treyton Series: Savage Beasts #2 Author: J. Nathan Genre: Standalone Rock Star Romance Cover Design: T. E. Black Designs Photo: Eric McKinney Release Date: February 3, 2020 Blu…
After a few steps more, Larissa stops running. She reaches a tree and tries to make her breath come back. Her heart is running even faster than she did running away from the Cornucopia, never looking back. She did it. She survived the bloodbath.
"Of course you did!", Larissa says for herself, after all she was a career tribute and she'd been training for the Arena since she can remember. Maybe she wasn't the best of her group of friends, but certainly she was better than the tributes of the rest of districts, who didn't even know what to do if they were chosen to go to the Hunger Games.
After a few minutes more, she turn her head over her shoulder, looking back to the place she left not so long ago. It seems quite silent now, the fighting between the tributes who didn't left should've stopped by now. Larissa holds her sword and looks at it quietly. She's okay, unharmed and she has a sword. But she's alone, and that's quite bad even for a career tribute.
Maybe she can be allies with Malcolm, her fellow tribute of District 2, or with District 1. Or maybe District 4, she doesn't know certainly. There's only one way to find out who's still alive and who's not. She grabs her bag from the floor and begins to walk back to the Cornucopia.
I kind of want to make a blog just about me, and then a super blog with Treydaseis. And maybe one for PS later in life lolz, but ya definitly going to do that. Definitly need to talk to Treyda. He'll prolly see this tho. Did you see it Treyton?
