Why does that spell even exist? (BE story)

[Chaos Echo]

Hey, people who read this:

I've been toying with moving the setting of the story from Earth to some place of my own, to allow myself more freedom of... whatever that'd be called. Creativity? I'd just need to edit a few of the lines throughout some of the chapters, so it would require little effort.

Any thoughts?

[Daichi Azure]

yes that would allow you to have more freedom in what you write/type. If not you could always use the standby of paralell diminsion to our own that those sort of things happen in...-goes back to the lurking-

[sadmanofshadows]

Originally Posted by Chaos Echo

Hey, people who read this:

I've been toying with moving the setting of the story from Earth to some place of my own, to allow myself more freedom of... whatever that'd be called. Creativity? I'd just need to edit a few of the lines throughout some of the chapters, so it would require little effort.

Any thoughts?

Sure!
I do agree with Daichi Azure though, just making it a different dimension of Earth works too.
i was a bit confused when technology existed like TVs and such but not others like cars and what have you haha

[Chaos Echo]

Originally Posted by sadmanofshadows

Sure!
I do agree with Daichi Azure though, just making it a different dimension of Earth works too.
i was a bit confused when technology existed like TVs and such but not others like cars and what have you haha

Nah, there're cars; I just don't think I've gotten around to mentioning them yet. Carline just never uses them, due to magic generally being a more efficient method of travel.

And I think I will just make my own world...place...thing. Once I get around to it.

In case anyone's wondering about the delay since last chapter, it's because of a combination of the end of the semester and the new Zelda.

[sadmanofshadows]

Originally Posted by Chaos Echo

Nah, there're cars; I just don't think I've gotten around to mentioning them yet. Carline just never uses them, due to magic generally being a more efficient method of travel.

And I think I will just make my own world...place...thing. Once I get around to it.

In case anyone's wondering about the delay since last chapter, it's because of a combination of the end of the semester and the new Zelda.

ah! okay.
haha good reason! I really liked the new Zelda! the final boss is a lot of fun to fight!
so is... Ghirahim. had to look up how to spell his name...

[Chaos Echo]

Originally Posted by sadmanofshadows

ah! okay.
haha good reason! I really liked the new Zelda! the final boss is a lot of fun to fight!
so is... Ghirahim. had to look up how to spell his name...

Good, I hope so. He's atmospherically rather underwhelming in my opinion. And kinda boring as a character. >__>

At least Ghirahim is awesome. Finally another good villain since Ganon.

But this isn't a Zelda topic, so I should probably stop derailing it.

[Chaos Echo]

Okay, it's been a while... I've been playing Zelda and dealing with the end of the semester... I've had this chapter written since like four days after the last one, but I never got around to proofreading it until yesterday... and the more I look at it the less satisfied I am with it. But, I'll leave that up to you to judge.

More plot, no expansion again, but I promise it'll regularly happen again with the next ones, except for one chapter a few down the road.

Chapter 14
____________________________

Carline had been travelling the rest of the day since she’d left Aphira, and by the time she got to Redlich, it was late, and was getting pretty dark. Before she reached the town, she stopped and gazed at it from a distance. That place had very painful memories attached to it, being the very town where she’d lost control and brought about so much death. And even more so, given the day it was approaching. The sorceress sighed deeply, and willed herself to go on instead of wimping out.


She set down the purse filled with supplies that Aphira had given her, and focused. Aphira had been right; there was no way it would be a good idea to go there as she was. She held her arms straight out, and her hands glowed, utilizing what Aphira had just taught her. Her hair became a blonde, and her eyes jumped across the spectrum to green. She didn’t bother with her skin at all; lots of women were pale, she reasoned. She dropped her arms and grabbed the purse again, opening it and looking inside. The scissors were on top. Carline grabbed them and set magic to them, so that they would cut her hair short. A simple dye job didn’t stop her hairstyle from being recognizable. It was fine anyway, she thought as she saw her beautiful locks falling around her. She could always just magically grow it back once she was done journeying.


Once that was finished, the back of her neck felt cold, her hair reaching only to the middle of it. She put the scissors back in the purse, and pulled out the salmon pink button blouse she’d been given. She laid it down carefully in the grass, and pulled out a white pencil skirt as well. There were some simple shoes beneath that, and she began to suspect that the purse was bigger inside than out. She slid her golden bands down her arms, took her circlet off her head, and put both inside the bag, and then looked around. No one was around, so she removed her dress as well. She shivered a bit from the chilly spring night, and looked down her slender form. She really did look nice, she thought. The breasts and butt she’d given herself were a perfect addition. She watched her nipples slowly grow hard from the cold air, and while she did so, she decided to add another bit to her disguise.


Carline put her hands over her breasts, letting the buxom spell flow through them. She didn’t feel much like waiting, so it started up immediately, her soft flesh flowing into her hands. Her breasts swelled a few sizes, Carline not taking much time to enjoy it, as she was here for business, and she wanted to get this done before someone showed up. Once finished, she was busty, but not head-turningly so. She didn’t bother with her face at all; Aphira had told her no one knew it. She stuffed her dress into the purse, and noticed a bra there that she was sure wasn’t before. She grabbed it, putting the cups over her breasts, and it was a perfect fit. She rolled her eyes mentally. Either she was predictable, or the bag was aware of what was going on.


She exhaled a long breath, stumped with how to do this. She’d never worn one in her life, having been too small in the chest to care for most of it, and not getting around to it after discovering the buxom spell. Suddenly the undergarment glowed a pale purple, and it wrapped around her and did the deed itself. Carline put that event firmly into her “Aphira is a creepass” file as she fetched the skirt from the ground. She put it on, feeling its snugness over her butt, and bent to get the blouse. As she buttoned it, she looked down and saw small, purple gem earrings. She grabbed those too, and put them in her long-unused pierced ears. She wondered if Aphira had enjoyed setting her up to be a dress up doll.


After Carline accomplished all that, she closed up the purse and put it over her shoulder, heading to town. Before she got far, she saw two figures approaching. They were both women, but it was hard to make out features at the distance given the lighting. She put her arms behind her quick, to hide the glowing sign of her altering her voice. As she got closer, she noticed one was rather tan, dressed in mismatched clothes and somewhat curvy, but she was nothing compared to her opposite, who had very wide hips and huge breasts, with only a bikini top over the latter. The two passed her, and as they did so, both forcefully grabbed her. Carline had a moment of panic before she gathered herself, remembering how little of a threat they really posed to her. The two quickly nonverbally worked out something, and the tan one let go and moved in front of her, having taken her purse, while the other continued to hold her. “So lady, what’re you doing out here at this time of night?” Carline had no fear. “Trying to walk to town. Why, is that a problem?” “Yeah, it is. Because you see, you’ve got some nice stuff on you. Stuff we could probably pawn off for good money. Maybe I could put it toward my ‘get a proper ship’ fund.” The other one chimed in, “Arr, and don’t ye be fergettin’ to get yerself a crew of the worst brigands t’ ever sail the seas, man!” The first bandit got angry fast. “Purple. SHUT. THE FUCK UP. You’re not helping.” She drew the cutlass she had on her waist. “Look, just give us what you got, lady, and we’ll go on our way harmlessly. If not, well… we’ve killed for less.”


Carline was mildly amused, somehow knowing she was bluffing. The two came off as having had better days. “Well, c’mon then! We don’t have all night, there’s gotta be other travelers coming in!” “‘s not gonna work, Lefty. Just take what we got and let’s go. Although…” The one that had been called Purple let up slightly on Carline. “So… you alone?” “Wh-what do you mean?” “Well… you’re pretty hot there, lady… in fact…” She slid one of her hands up Carline’s arm and over her shoulder, and grabbed her breast. That, Carline decided, was too far, and she stomped on her toes and wriggled out of her grasp. “Ah God! The hell, man? You’ve got rockin’ tits, I just wanted a feel!” Purple pulled a dagger. “Now I’m gonna have to mess you up.”


Before Carline had to lift a finger, a very familiar voice called out. “Hey, fuckfaces!” A red boot flew into the side of Purple’s head. She hit the ground fast, and its owner did a roll back to a standing position after her jump kick. Praeli pointed to the other one. “Look, I’ll give you a deal. Hand over the purse, and I’ll let you both go off to your cardboard box or wherever the hell you have your dykey makeout parties without busting your fucking skulls in.” The thief, though, didn’t take her up on her offer, dropping the purse and charging at her with sword in hand. Praeli smirked and met her halfway, ripping through it with shining hands. The broken pieces fell into the grass, and the thief stopped dead. She quickly analyzed the situation. “Fuck it. Purple, let’s go! Not worth it!” Purple athletically flipped to standing from her place on the ground, and they ran off, neither remembering, or perhaps caring, to retrieve the purse again. “That’s right, you stupid bitches! You’d better run!” Praeli called after them as they fled. While the heroine hollered various vulgar insults at them, Carline hid her magic signature. She had no idea if Praeli was able to sense it, and didn’t want to take that risk.


Praeli turned to Carline, sudden compassion in her eyes. “Are you alright?” “Y-yes, thank you.” Carline chose to play her role, hoping Praeli wouldn’t recognize her. “Okay, good. Those stupid bitches have been skulking around here lately. It’s really weird.” “Why’s that?” “Are they just being lazy and taking advantage of all the traffic in? I mean, the two of them are pretty well known as master thieves. Er, no, wait, I lied about it being the two of them. The pirate bitch is a master thief. She used to have this really purple dude with her, but he hasn’t been seen since winter, and now she’s got this dyke-ass purple chick. Did she replace him with her or what?” She caught herself. “Sorry, I’m ranting. What’s your name, lady?” “Me? Oh… Carol,” she said. “Carol McArrond.” She appended, defaulting to her maiden name for lack of having thought of a different one.


Praeli took a moment to commit it to memory. “Carol McArrond. Got it.” She motioned Carline to walk alongside her. “C’mon, I’ll escort you to town and set you up with the inn.” “No, it’s fine, I can-” “Carol, the place is gonna be crowded considering the day that’s coming up. Trust me, you can cruise on my awesomeness and I’ll get you a room. Hell, maybe you can room with me and Rose.” They started walking. “Oh, I forgot, I’m Praeli.” “Yes, I know who you are.” “Good. Means I don’t gotta tone down my language for you then.” Praeli grabbed Carline’s purse as they passed it and handed it to her. Carline gave a quiet thanks and saw it was slightly opened. A glint of gold was shining from it, and she reached in to see what it was. She pulled out, to her surprise, her wedding ring. “How did that…?” “Oh, you’re a married woman then? Who’s the lucky man?” “He’s… deceased.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Carol.” Carline was still thinking about the ring. “How did it even get there? Aphira, what are you trying to pull here?” She slipped it over her finger and hastily changed the subject. “So, do you have anyone in your life?” “Me? Nah, I don’t have time for that shit. Too busy kicking ass. Anything like that would just slow me down.”




Praeli got Carline situated at the inn, where she did indeed end up sharing a room with her and the Rose she spoke of. Rose was a few years Carline’s junior, and a few curves her superior. Her golden blonde hair fell to mid-back, and she had light, pretty eyes between green and blue. She wore clothes in shades of bright green, her low v-neck showing off a good amount of cleavage. The woman seemed nice enough from the little she spoke with her, but Carline had the feeling she’d met her before; she seemed somehow familiar.


In the night, Carline lie awake. She was deep in thought. “Praeli’s obviously the person she said I’d meet. How’s she gonna help me? I’m pretty sure she still hates me. And what’s Aphira trying to pull with my ring anyway?” She fiddled with it beneath the blanket. “Especially given what the day after tomorrow is. I didn’t want to be anywhere near here then. I wanted to be home, curled up, not thinking about it at all. But no, instead, I’m here at the place it happened, with at least one of the people who suffered from it.” She rolled to her side, and saw Praeli sleeping peacefully in the other bed. “Praeli… she must’ve had such a strong personality to get over it like she did… she couldn’t’ve been more than fifteen when her parents died… died to me…” She watched Praeli’s chest gently rise and fall with her breathing. The younger woman didn’t seem nearly as masculine in her sleep. In fact, she really looked very pretty. If she took better care of herself and acted more decently, Carline bet she could get herself someone without a problem, her time issue notwithstanding.


She continued watching Praeli’s athletically muscled form for a time, and then rolled over. Her bedmate, on the other hand, didn’t have the muscle tone or body shape that Praeli did. Rose’s breasts were a large and round break in her silhouette, held in by the simple pajamas she wore, and they stretched the fabric ever slightly. She had a generously large butt as well, and her skin looked youthful, smooth, and soft. If Praeli were the type to be an action heroine in a movie, then Rose would be the one to seduce the hero, or his love interest, or something. Still, though, Rose was oddly familiar. Carline racked her brain as to where she would’ve seen her, or heard of her. The name Rose Derileen didn’t seem familiar, but something about her really was. As Carline stared at her, trying to figure it out, she saw wetness at the other woman’s eyes. She wondered what that was about. Was she crying? She didn’t want to bother her though, in case it was just a natural part of her sleeping. After a long time of watching her and thinking on her familiarity, Carline drifted to sleep herself.




The next morning, the three women were all sitting around a table in the lobby with a married couple, the lot of them drinking coffee. The atmosphere wasn’t lively at their table. Rose spoke somberly. “So tomorrow’s the day, then.” “Yeah.” Praeli was quiet, a marked difference to her normal self. “Nine years ago tomorrow, a sorceress lost her shit and two hundred seventeen people died here.” Carline had her head down, remembering exactly what it had been like. “So, I couldn’t help but notice your wedding ring, Mrs. McArrond.” Carline looked up, the woman of the couple having addressed her. “Where’s your husband? Or is he no longer with us?” “Yeah… he… he was in it. He… died in the incident.” “I’m sorry to hear that. We lost our little girl. Sweet little Sheri. She would’ve been seventeen, had she… had she been alive today. We… we were just vacationing here when it happened. Right behind us, she just… fell. We first thought she’d just tripped. I went back to help her up, but the moment I grabbed her I knew she… s-she was gone. O-our little girl…” She began to cry into her husband’s arms, and he consolingly patted her on the back, with no words to offer up himself. He didn’t look like he could’ve even managed it.


Praeli gripped her coffee mug. “Everyone was fucked by it. I lived here back when it happened. I remember it well; I was fourteen then, and the five of us were on our way back from the ice cream place. I saw it happen. I saw the sorceress, I saw the magic as it freely flowed from her, I saw the man with her fall, I saw my mum and dad and brother fall, I saw so many people fall…” She broke off. Tears were beginning to come out. “A-and the sorceress… she just fled. She left her responsibility, the scene of her murders. I yelled at them to… to get up. I yelled for a long time… and Arice… s-she didn’t even know what had… that they…” She wiped her eyes, then stood up and slammed her fist on the table. “I had no choice after that. I decided that that was what I was going to take up the family legacy for. I was going to fight for justice. Not just to bring her in, but to bring in every asshole who does things like that and thinks they can get away with it.”


The man nodded in agreement. “But why has no one dealt with her? That damn witch lives maybe an hour’s drive from the outskirts of Ceyllitar, but their queen’s just sat and let nothing be done about it, and so has our royal couple! Maybe since they died, their daughter will be more decisive!” “Tom! Don’t you think that’s too soon?” Rose looked surprised at his last statement. “Wait, what’s this about the king and queen dying?” “Have you not been around lately?” “No; I’m only here because my boyfriend lost a sibling to the massacre. Something about getting struck by a car driven by someone newly dead…” “I see. Well, just this last month both the king and queen died in a freak accident-” “Like hell they did! That shit stinks of assassination all over it! I’m still trying to decide between one of three probable people who did it…” “Praeli, relax yourself. So, since their deaths, now Princess Dalia is taking up the throne. She hasn’t issued anything publicly on what she thinks about it, but she does have to keep up that “in control” air, y’know?”


Carline was only half-listening to their conversation, completely miserable. All this turmoil was caused by her; even nine years later, her magical screw-up caused suffering. She’d considered turning herself in many times, but reasoned that it wouldn’t change anything; what was done was done. And losing her would wreck Tuicia, and she’d already screwed enough lives. She tuned back in, and Praeli was talking again, having sat back down again. “But I don’t know what to do with that sorceress. I mean, I’ve butted heads with her through the years, but… she seems to be all regretful and remorseful for having done it. She lost a loved one too there… she says it’s not her fault it happened… and she’s all personable and affable…” Praeli leaned forward and put her head in her hands, digging them beneath her hairband. “Goddamnit… I just don’t know… I don’t even know what to think of her…”


Carline stood up from the table. “I need to be excused for a bit, I think, if you don’t mind. I… need to be alone.” Praeli’s head snapped up, her hairband staying in her hands. “Wha? Carol, where’re you going?” “I… sorry.” Carline walked quickly back to the room, and sat on the edge of the bed, staring into the carpet. She was seriously debating leaving right now, getting out of the place before she did something she’d regret. She hated being reminded so personally of the consequences of what happened. She considered options, when she heard a knock, and looked up to see Rose entering. “Carol…” She started. “Please, just go away. This whole thing affects me much more personally than you’d think.” “Carol, you’re not alone in this.” She came over and sat down next to her. “Really, your husband isn’t the only one to die. Lots of people had their loved ones meet their ends here. It really is a tragedy. But holing up alone isn’t going to help at all. You seem like you still can’t get over him. It’s okay; not everyone can go on with life so quickly, not after something as sudden and uncontrollable as that. If you need anything, Carol, just tell me. I’ll be a shoulder for you to lean on.” “Thank you, but… I’d really just like to be alone. I don’t think I could share my feelings about this with you.”


“I understand. I have things myself that I could never share with others.” “Oh? Like what?” “Um… I just said I’d rather not share with anyone.” “Rose, you were just telling me that I needed to talk about it, and now you bring up a secret of your own?” “It’s… erm… complicated. I can’t just… it’s not remotely the same. Mine involves things you’d never believe.” “Oh? Try me.” “Would you believe in resurrection from death?”Carline suddenly got more attentive. She had an instant horrible suspicion growing. Not even a suspicion; she knew exactly who faced her now.


“Resurrection from death?” “Nah, it’s absurd. Let’s put it a different way. Um… I wasn’t always this way, we’ll just say. I had a run-in with this sorceress over the winter…” Rose stopped as she saw the look on Carline’s face. The sorceress had confirmed without a doubt who she was. Rose seemed to have realized who “Carol” was as well. “Wait… you-” She had time to get out nothing else before Carline’s hands closed around her throat. “Sorceress, no, wait!” Carline was glaring at the one she recognized with intense fury. Her voice came out as a menacing growl. “Bella… what the hell are you doing here? Wasn’t it enough that you damn near killed Tuicia? That you killed my mother? What right do you even have to live? I spared you, and now you’re here at the ninth anniversary of this hellish day? What are you after?”


“Please… sorceress…” Bella fought against Carline’s grip, but the spell done to her months ago had removed any muscle she’d had. “Please… I don’t have ANY right to live, you’re right… but what would killing me give you? I’ve changed… I have things to live for now… people who would be just as deprived as you are if I died…” “LIES! What are you trying to play at? How weak have you gotten, that you need mind games to worm your way through life?” “Please… don’t do this…” Carline did not heed her in the least, fully prepared to choke her to her last breath. She was spared only by the timely appearance of Praeli.


“What the- THE HELL’S GOING ON!?” Praeli leapt forward, wrenching Bella from Carline’s hands. She flung Carline over the gap between the beds. “Rose, are you okay?” Carline quickly recovered from her tumble, and pointed a finger accusingly at Bella. “Don’t trust a word she says! That’s Bella!” “Who now? And who the hell are you?” “Dammit, Praeli, it’s me! Carline!” “What? And she…?” “That’s that damn mercenary!” Praeli still kneeled beside the sputtering, coughing woman. “I… Rose, are you okay?” “Y-yes, I think so…” “Good.” She slid her across the bed to its head, and jumped backwards to see both of them. “Okay, look. Both of you, stay where you are.” She pointed from one blonde to the other. “So are you Bella?” Bella nodded slowly, looking almost shameful for admitting it. “And you’re Carline.” She did as well, but she was much more proud about it. “The two of you then stay RIGHT THE HELL WHERE YOU ARE. I still don’t really like you, and I’m not sure who the hell you are.”


Both stayed put as commanded. “So… exactly WHAT is going on?” Carline was the first to answer. “She’s that horrible mercenary! She killed so many of our kind! How do you not know her?” “She died when I was like ten. I didn’t know jack shit.” She turned to Bella. “Rose. I mean, Bella. What happened? What’s going on? Why are you here?” “She… I have no excuse. She’s right. I’ve done horrible, unforgiveable things. I know that. And you have every right to kill me. But please, sorceress, before you hand down justice, hear me out. I’m not here to cause trouble.” Carline nodded solemnly, not really having much of choice with Praeli situated there.


“After what you did to me, when you made me all… sexual-like, the Council of Lords in Ceyllitar wanted nothing to do with me. They couldn’t use me anymore. I hit a time of despair after that. Being a mercenary was all I’d known for so long. Even if I were to regain my old strength, these airbags you gave me wouldn’t lend well to fighting. There was nothing I could do, and as far as was known, I was a dead woman, so I could not even access my funds, even if I had still looked the same. Luckily, there was one who knew who I was and what was wrong, and who was willing to take me in: Princess Ruhtina.”


“Over the roughly month after that, she helped me cope; helped me rehabilitate and become a better person. Her sister demanded that I be thrown into a prison and be let rot after what she’d seen, but Ruhtina wouldn’t have that. Her only price for her kindness was… well…” Bella blushed a little. “…you know how she is. She pretty much completely tore down any reservations I had with sexuality. She’s like a goddess with that; she could make anyone, man or woman, fall for her. But it wasn’t my thing… the princess aside, I like men. So she helped set me up with someone. And now that is why I’m here, at this place, on this day.”


Carline eyed her. “So you got better. How does that remotely excuse what you did?” “I’ve already told you, sorceress, it doesn’t. That’s part of what I was addressing.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Since then, I have thought long and hard about what I’ve done. It horrifies me. All those sorceresses… I killed them with my own hands. Sure, there were the ones that were monstrous and needed to die, but… most of them… they were just normal, or at worst unpleasant, women, who were taken out because of grudges, or for others’ agendas… but I didn’t even care. The money was all that mattered to me. The money and the something to do with my life. The morality of it never once crossed my mind.”


“But now I lie awake nights, thinking on all the lives I’ve wasted. Every night I cry. What I’ve done is… unforgiveable. So many lives… some of them I’ve heard were some of the nicest people… I…” She broke off, hand to her chest and eyes closed. Carline understood exactly where she was coming from, being in a similar situation herself; but her own existent prejudice was keeping her from fully sympathizing. And SHE’D never meant to kill them, unlike the woman in front of her. Bella continued. “I could never possibly make up for what I’ve done… I don’t know how I could even start… but perhaps with you.” She looked up at Carline with eyes shining with tears. “I don’t expect it at all, not after what I’ve done to you, but… look deep inside yourself Carline… if there’s any way you could possibly forgive me… or at least… accept that I’ve changed…”


Carline quickly avoided eye contact. “She’s really asking… after my mother? After Tuicia? What a performance. She sounds sincere, but… can I really trust her?” Praeli butted in on her thoughts. “So what’s up with you now, then? I thought you were dead and shit?” Carline saw her opportunity just then. “Wait, Bella.” “Please, Carline, if you can… call me Rose, not Bella. That woman is dead, and rightfully so. I don’t wish to be her ever again.” “…Rose. I know how you can start. I need you to tell me- when you came back, I think you said it was a year ago. Do you remember ANYTHING about your resurrection?” Carline stopped as she remembered something. “No, wait, crap. You said you didn’t remember a thing I thought.” “Actually, I lied then. I’ve thought back, and I remember a lot.” “What? Well tell me then!”


Rose sighed. “I woke up from death. It was like a long sleep. We were in… I think a warehouse. An empty one.” “Who’s ‘we’?” “This other woman; I’d never seen her before. I remember she asked me how I felt. Not in any kind of concerned way, but more professional, like I was an experiment. I told her I felt fine, but I knew that I’d been dead. I asked her who she was. She told me it wasn’t for me to know. She told me I was the first of a new form of magic; that the body I inhabited – that the body I still inhabit – was not my own. That she’d up and smote, and I remember she used that word specifically, some random homeless man, and converted his body to my own. Something about DNA extract from my very bones or something; I don’t remember.” “Wait, what now? The fuck are you talking about?”


“I’m saying she has body-warping magic, and powerful at that. She had my armor and sword, all of it, lying off to the side. She told me to do what I do best, and that she required no thanks. And then… she left. Stupid, damnable me did exactly as she said. And you know what happened from there.” Carline thought hard about it. Aphira was right. Someone was planning something. “Rose, do you remember what the woman looked like at all?” “Oh yes! She was… enormous, very tall. She had to be half a foot more than I am- er, was. She was pretty muscled… like Praeli here, but more so. She wasn’t body-builder level, but she definitely was the kind who lifts weights daily, and her pants didn’t really hide the form of her legs at all; they were similarly defined. She was pretty well-endowed, too. She was probably… er… objectively bigger in the chest and butt than I am, but proportionally on her frame, not quite as much. She… I don’t know quite how to put it. She had a… cruel face. Like one that could be attractive if she needed it to be, but also one that could be terrifying. She had mid-long hair, wore it over half her face…”


Rose stopped talking, trying to think of what else, and the other two both stared at her. “What about colors or anything?” “Carline, I’m colorblind. I always have been.” “Oh.” Carline thought hard. No one she knew matched that description. Still, though, it was a nice lead for when she got to Ectri. Suddenly she remembered she was supposed to be going that way. She turned to Praeli. “Hey, do you have any mode of transport or anything?” “Nah, not really. The hell d’you need it for?” “I need to go to Baltrond. A mission from Aphira, and it has everything to do with what we just talked about.” “Baltrond? Isn’t that over in Dasay? Well fuck then, I gotta come with. Whoever this chick is sounds like no good. I’m gonna have to beat her ass.” Carline nodded. Things were lining up well. She turned back to the other woman. “Bel- I mean, Rose. Thank you for your help. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you for what you did… I want to, I really do; I can see you’re different now… you don’t even seem like the same person, but… it’s hard.” “Just think about it, please. I need someone to know that I’ve changed… that I’m not the same horrid person I was…”


Praeli stretched and popped her shoulder. “Speaking of forgiveness… there’s still you and my parents, ya bitch. Witch.” “Y-yes… them… and everyone who I… who I…” “Ya know how you can prove it to me?” Praeli got in Carline’s face. “Princess Dalia’s gonna show up here tomorrow, and she’ll be givin’ a speech. A speech to commemorate those lost and to accept her coronation. So you-” she pointed a finger in Carline’s face. “Gotta stay here till then. Show me that you really do care.” “I… must I really, Praeli?” “You’ve gotta stop running and own up to it. Sure, you fucked up. So does everyone. They move on, though. You don’t.” “Most people’s ‘fuckups’ don’t end in 217 less people in the world.” Praeli shrugged. “So are you gonna let that define your life then, you failure? That you killed two hundred people? Cuz if that’s the only thing in your life that matters to you, I’m gonna have to kick your ass on account of you being evil.” Carline didn’t even know how to respond to that. Rose spoke in the silence that followed. “It looks like we’re both trying to make it up to people we’ve wronged, then.” “Yeah…” “Sorceress, let me know if there’s anything, anything at all, that I can do…” “Y-yes, I will, Rose. Just… both of you, go do whatever. I need to think. I’ve got a lot to process from different directions.”


Praeli was aggressive in her thinly-veiled demand. “So you’re going to the speech then, right?” “Yes! I’ll… I’ll go. Even if it means I’ll have to see the faces of everyone I… everyone that I… deprived of their loved ones.” Praeli was too fired up now with a new desire to be emotional at all. “Yeah, deal with it. Actions have consequences, bitchface, even unintended actions. As soon as we’re done with that, we gotta get our asses on a plane. Hell, I’m sure I could use my heroism as credit or something. We got some sneaky bitch to take out.” She waved energetically to Rose. “Leave her to mope! Let’s go tear up the town!” She ran out the room, clearly ready to tackle the day. Rose looked over to Carline. “I can’t say it enough, sorceress. I’m so, so sorry. I did terrible things. I killed your mother while you were young and innocent. That must’ve been unbearable.” She looked off to the side. “I don’t know how I’ll ever make it up to you… but I’ll find a way. A way to make it up to everyone.” She looked directly into Carline’s eyes again. “And you should do the same. Put some good back into the world.” She got up from the bed. “But Praeli bids that I follow her, so I probably should before she comes back in hollering.” Rose left as well, and Carline was alone with her thoughts.

[sadmanofshadows]

I like Praeli!
she's just the kind of blunt, really nice (to those who aren't evil), spunky, quirky people who make the world awesome!
haha great work!

[DevonCory]

YEAH! An update! Can't read it now. Gotta go to work. But YEAH! Thanks man!

[teh_ninja]

Excellently done! Keep it up!

[Chaos Echo]

Also, I've gone back and edited earlier ones' location names to my own places.

Except for France. France stays.

[Chaos Echo]

Hey, so, I got bored.

So instead of writing like a good little boy, I traced over and colored those five pictures from earlier YAAAAAYY

also I corrected Carline and Anni's bust sizes

and I don't really like how anyone but Carline and Praeli's faces turned out compared to the pencil versions but hey