9.122 – Karma

WOOOO I MADE IT

Personal Brag Novel

Oh man guys, I’ve been so last minute these days, and yeah I have less time than usual – a lot less time – but like I was vividly remembering that one time during James’ gen where I posted a chapter a day for like two weeks straight???

But then like, I did myself a healthy comparison. FOR ONE RIGHT, these chapters averaged about 20 pics. This chapter is 50 pics and I found it a little small. Those chapters were more around 2K words, while small these days for me is 3K. 

PLUS I didn’t do much editing or prepping then? My editing was pretty rare and a big deal. Like when James went on a bloody rampage for example. Now I easily have edits to do nearly every single chapter. And every other chapter I have CC to make. An accessory to make, like a phone, or a staff, or a camera, or Niko’s rings! And for example, Atris is an “object”. For every different pose you seem him doing, I have to make a new mesh for him, adjust him as I want and make an “object” of him. See, for this chapter I have this in my mods:

I’m sure you guys have noticed the increase in gifs too! Though I don’t have any in this particular chapter. Though in this chapter, I had to make a new world! Yes I had to mess around with CAW of all things. Primarily because the area Aleccas and Kit are in is unroutable and I didn’t want to kill myself setting the scene up. So I made a copy of the town I use for Rustmeadow, adjusted the routing, added a lot on the beach, and made my life easier. 

And I mean to add onto it, every single one of my chapters requires an obscene amount of poses I mean

This smol chapter alone had 35 poses. I’ve got two folders, each with over 800 poses since chapter 9.69.

Anyway

I don’t think it’s surprising that I’m managing these by the butt of my cheeks inside the two weeks. I’d even say it’s impressive 😉

 

Kit’s dialogue by Livvielove!

 

~Ridgevalley~

No one’s POV

The main department heads were all gathered together in a temporary area. It certainly wasn’t as cozy as the office they’d had in the Cloverfield lab. This was the comfortable price to pay when your main research facility got taken over by a gang of over excited self-proclaimed rebels.

Though it was no secret how they managed to get in and overtake, and Cherry Blossom felt the gaze of their CEO searing into her forehead.

The leader in question turned to a small TV they had set up and replayed the footage of one of their employees causing a temporary power shortage, letting three subjects go free and then going downstairs where she morphed into their young shapeshifter and went about setting free a number of their subjects.

A young shapeshifter that had been assigned to Cherry Blossom’s charge.

“You told me your charge would behave.”

Cherry swallowed despite herself. In a sense, this was most likely karma. She’d killed Gloria’s mother. Gloria. She hadn’t expected her daughter to exist. She hadn’t expected her husband to be leaving her for…for the heir of the Hans legacy and her daughter. Cherry thought she was being left for some whore.

She blew their car up and when she got to the scene, there was Alianne Hans, hugging a tree and crying.

She took her in. She gave her a new identity. She let her work with her among the Hans. She thought she could atone for her sin by caring for her.

 

Seems karma was still catching up to her. “I’ll take responsibility for the damages.”

“Yes you will. You’re also demoted. I’ll assign someone else to your department.” She declared.

Cherry’s eyes widened. “I’m in charge of artifacts. No one has worked as long as I have or has as much experience!”

“Darwin has been continuously working on projects side by side with you hasn’t he? If someone is equipped it’s him. Can you take this extra task Darwin?”

Darwin grinned and nodded. “Naturally! I’m a fast study. Speaking of, Candice Credant,” Darwin said, gesturing to the closed tv. “I want her on my team.”

“If you think she’ll be of use, you have permission. I’ll lift her suspension.” The CEO gave a quick glance around. “Now, as I’m sure many are curious, our relocation to Oakplain is…”

And just like that the subject pushed forwards, leaving Cherry Blossom to sit and let the events sink in.

Demotion was a strange synonym to death in this line of business.

She’d been demoted, in front of everyone as an example, and given no job. Demoted to what?

Demoted to underground.

She was to wait here, to watch them continue on without her, before she’d be taken care of.

Could she run for it?

No she couldn’t.

Karma had caught up with her.

***

~Rustmeadow~

Aleccas’ POV

I’d spent the better part of the last 24 hours fixing up this spell. I passed my staff from one hand to the next, an exercise that helps regulate the flow of magic in my veins. Just a few of the tricks everyone used to know in my time, but that seemed lost now, 200 years later.

Terraforming a lake…I snorted internally. My father would be as impressed as he would be exasperated that I’m wasting my gifts on this. Considering there’s an orb of pure condensed curses at the bottom, it’s not much of a waste.

I glanced back to where Kit had amusingly set up a blanket and a picnic for the afternoon – one her friend’s wife had provided. I could do this on my own, but I usually did when I helped out others, so this was a welcome change.

Kit. It probably was just a dream wasn’t it? She had no memory of having met me before – unless for some reason she was playing with me, but I doubted that. My vision of having seen her eyes before and heard her voice…likely me just morphing my own memories, or magic you know, you can never quite know with magic.

I took off my shoes and socks and rolled up my pants. I was going to have to step in the water for this.

“I’m going to delimit the area first.” I said out loud. I’ve never really had a spectator like this before…I don’t want to make this boring so looks like I’ll be dictating what I’m doing as I go.

“Aye, sounds fancy.” She said. “Ye learn what to do with a ball of curses in school, or something?”

I chuckled stepping into the water. “No actually, this is the first time I’ve seen this. I know of curses, though I’d never seen one before. Let alone a ball of it.” I shook my head lightly. “No, but terraforming I’ve done before. Small things. My dad told me, when I was…8? ” That doesn’t feel like 200 years ago, but in a way it does? “He told me if I wanted a hill to sled on I’d just have to make it myself. So I did. ”

I grinned a little as I started moving my staff back and forth from one side of this beach to the other. It’s still weird to realize they’re all dead. It’s only been two years for me. “I think he’ll like this hill.” I smirked. With the zone lined out, my repetitive movements started to move dirt on the bottom. I was going to create a mini dam of dirt, but that meant reallocating a lot of dirt to form these walls. A lot of dirt, meant several days of this.

Kit laughs lightly. “Ye were a determined kid, then?”

There’s a pause before she speaks again, and this time with a more serious tone. “I don’t mean to stick me nose where it doesn’t belong, and… I know it doesn’t belong ‘ere, but… does it weigh on ye? Your family? I might be projectin’, but… that coat was your family’s, wasn’t it? I’ve never seen someone hesitate to take somethin’ off so much – especially a coat like that in the heat of summer. I figure it musta meant something more.” She’d noticed that, huh?

My movements slowed a bit. “You’ve got a good eye.” I said, casting her a glance. “Yeah, it was my family’s.  They gave it to me when…” This felt like it needed more context. I’ve given others a lot less, but I think it’s clear at this point that Kit isn’t others.  No, she’s something else entirely. “It’s kind of a family crest kind of thing. I got it when they sent me to the War. Well, the Witch War, it was just the War to us then. A fucking long war. A pretty useless one if you ask me too. At least, I can say that now, back then we were fighting for our dignity, because that’s worth hundreds of deaths right?” I snorted dryly.

“I guess…well I don’t have a lot left from then. It’s been 200 years for everyone, they’re all over it, but it’s only been almost two years for me. My father wore it before me, and so did his father, whenever fighting was required. I suppose in some sentimental way it felt like I had the family on my shoulders with me.” I say, my tempo having increased again.

Kit hums softly. “I can see why it’s so important to ye. I don’t imagine they’ve got much left of things ye once held sacred and dear.” No, not anymore. “I’m sorry. I feel I should’ve considered it more. Would you like to talk about them? Your family? I’d like to hear of ‘em, if ye don’t mind sharing. I might not be from that time, but I can do me best.” I looked back at her at this, a little shocked but pleased by it. “Ye heard me out the other night, I’d like to be able to do the same.”

I haven’t shared with anyone. I haven’t wanted to and no one’s actually…

A wide grin spread on my face. “Yeah, I don’t mind. My family…we were the Keepers.” I smirk indulgently at the word play. “We were one of the main witch families, kind of a big deal. We were just three: my dad, my mom and me. My dad, Rothley, was…you know the kind of individual that’s so serious he surprises you when he’s not? He was pretty big on our ‘duty’,”

I air quoted the word and the movement of my staff made some water flop upwards. “We are the Keepers. We have one job. Everyone else be damned.” I said with a gruffer fake voice, doing a perfect imitation of my father if I do say so myself. Kit laughed at it, clapping even, and that me grin wider and chuckle before I continued.

“It took us decades before we joined the War, purely because my father thought it was beneath us. Protecting the eggs – protecting the egg that would eventually be Atris, was more important. That was our family motto, protect the eggs and keep them secret. It made us look like huge snobs.” I snorted at that. “My mom wasn’t as to the letter about it as my dad was, and I think she was mostly just glad we had an excuse not to participate in the war. Which we, naturally, eventually did. God, that war was ridiculous. It went on for ages, and it was about something really petty – territory.” I scowled, shaking my head.

“The Whitelights joined before we did to put an end to it. The war was causing hundreds of outside casualties just because of the pure magic concentration. I’m really not surprised that 200 years later, the crater that war made is still so rich in magic.” I said, glancing off into the horizon where you could spot the top of those unnatural peaks. “The magic accumulation must be intense. It’s not lethal, but you’d have to build a hell of a magical resistance to be able to stay there for more than a bit and to stay sane.”

“Anyway, eventually we didn’t have much choice and my parents decided to join the war, as well as my cousins and my aunts – and well the entire family decided to get involved. And it’s all because I was joining it. My dad was pretty big on fortunes, and back then we had a pretty significantly important family of fortune tellers that my dad visited often. When I was young they gave him a kind of prophecy apparently. One that my dad decided to interpret as me being the end-all. The war would end thanks to me. I guess…in a way, it sort of did? Because I wasn’t on the battlefield for more than a few days before it all came crashing down. Yeah so, there was this big to do ceremony, and that’s when Atris hatched for me. Which you know, only enhanced the idea that I was The One. Turns out, I apparently was just the only one meant to survive.” I said with a frown. Some kind of messed up prophecy alright.

“I figure Atris must’ve done something to save me, I’m guessing he’s the reason I got teleported 200 years in the future and everyone else…died.” I paused, thinking about it, before I shook my head lightly, taking a breath. “He can’t talk though, so I don’t think I’ll ever really know what happened. Either way, I don’t think it’s quite what my dad hoped it would be.” I laughed dryly, before wading out of the water.

I had enough magic to keep going, but my stomach was protesting for a snack.

“That’s quite a large role ye had to carry with ye.” She said as I made my way over to sit with her.

“Did ye at least solve world hunger while ye were at it?” She snorted and it made me grin. “Sorry, I shouldn’t joke, but it just bewilders me how much ye carried…” She said, handing me one of the snacks.

Her comment makes me smile. I hadn’t really thought of it that way – or more I didn’t allow myself to. It feels good to talk about all of this. My shoulders feel less tired. It’s nice to be…noticed? Understood this way?

“It must have been a shock to wake up somewhere different than where ye were… and alone.” She picks up again as I eat. “I mean, ye have Atris, yeah, but he’s more of a… a child. A responsibility. Not someone ye can share with. Not to mention he was just a babe. Yet here ye are carryin’ on; helpin’ others. Did ye have any siblings?”

“I didn’t. No siblings. I wouldn’t have minded one.” I chuckle lightly. “It was a pretty big shock to wake up alone, definitely. Especially, since, well, I woke up tied up in a Hans facility. Near here actually.” I looked at the horizon a bit, spotting the general direction where the tiny hardly noteworthy town would be. “In Downcrest.” I was getting caught up in sharing, I was also getting caught in the brightness of her green eyes.

There really were none other like them, which made it difficult to imagine I’d made them up.

I leaned towards her as if I was about to tell her a deep secret – which, well in a way I was. “I’m about to tell you something that nobody knows.” I said with a light grin, and she leaned towards me too, humoring me. “I didn’t make it out of that facility alone. I had help. Don’t spread the news though, people get high over the idea that I got out of there on my own. Don’t want to start ruining my reputation.” I grinned.

She snorts before locking her lips and throwing away the key. “Oh, shh, I won’t tell no-one.” She said with a wink and I chuckled. This was simple, talking with her, and it was nice.

There’s a long pause as we eat, the mood light, before she speaks. “Thank you.” Thank you? She was thanking me? I should be thanking her for hearing me out. “For sharin’ that with me. I don’t think the world realizes how much ye carry. I know I certainly didn’t.”

I smiled softly into the sandwich.

She straightened suddenly, as if she’d gotten struck by an idea. “Hey, ye said the crater wasn’t lethal, but more only a place for those with a good magical resistance, right?”

I nodded, curious as to where this was going. “Yeah, I did. It was lethal for naturals during the war and some weaker supernaturals, but,” I shook my head. “At this point, today, it’s not going to kill you. If you have bad magical resistance it’ll make you really sick, give you hallucinations, make you lose your mind, you know the general gist.”

She leaned back and laughed, satisfied with my answer.

I let out a breathy chuckle as it started to dawn on me what idea she’d gotten.

She grinned deviously. “Perfect.”

***

~Rustmeadow~

No one’s POV

“Like this?” Nikolas asked, trying to bend to touch his fingers behind his back. “This isn’t happening Mouse…” He wailed, giving up as his muscles complained. It was something they were doing constantly now from Kit’s training. But hey, he was pretty proud; he’d managed to do 30 rounds this morning before he tripped on his own feet. It was a personal best!

Mouse tapped Nikolas again – one might even say it was a shove – to get his attention. Mouse displayed their flexible ease at managing the exercise.

“My bones just don’t undo themselves like that Mouse.” Nikolas said with an apologetic shrug.

Mouse snorted and made a face at him, and Nikolas chuckled.

“Ok my turn.” He picked up with a grin and he gestured at one of the hay rounds. “How fast can you climb up this?”

Mouse squinted at him, gesturing at their respective legs.

Nikolas waved dismissively. “I have a handicap this is more than fair.”

Mouse still squinted for a few seconds before they rushed to the hay round, climbing up on it. They had some difficulty, which Atris noticed and immediately flew over to help them out.

Nikolas had a skeptical smirk as he muttered a “that’s cheating, but okay.”

Mouse reached the top and waved at him, and Nikolas jogged over intending to seamlessly jump onto the hay round.

He’d done parkour for ages, jumping wasn’t something he had trouble with. This should be easy as pie. Yet he jumped…and lost his holding, falling right back down on his back as his muscles tensed up – scolding him for the abuse they’d been enduring.

“I forgot, I’m just a rag doll these days.” He groaned from his new spot on the ground, making Mouse laugh.

“Rag doll?” A voice asked and Nikolas blinked as his astral turned on.

Ah. Ashlynn. How delightful.

Nikolas stopped time, not wanting to waste his time with Mouse on whatever Ashylnn wanted to talk about. Who knows, maybe she’d apologize for the last time they talked.

“What’s up Ashe?” Or if he had to guess, there was probably some other motive.

“Just checking up on you. So this is where you’re hanging out?” She asked, looking around before her eyes landed on Atris. “With Aleccas Keeper right…do you know how long you guys are going to be out here?”

“You’re so bad at small talk Ashe.” Nikolas sighed.

She pursed her lips. “And you’re really evasive. I’m just saying, the sooner you come back to Stonebridge, the best for everyone.”

Nikolas rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“Okay, yes, I’m here because I wanted to see if we could organize some kind of tree meet up. You left fast last time. Something happened when we were both awake in that place. Now nothing happens. If we’re both there again-”

“Ashe I’m busy.” He said with a shake of his head.

“Busy? Niko we can stop time in astral, there’s no such thing as busy.”

“Okay fine Ashe, I don’t really care right now. I don’t want to. And honestly your presence in general really pisses me off right now, so woosh will you?”

She shook her head at Niko. “You’re so immature Nikolas. There are bigger things than you here, but whatever, have fun.” She huffed before disappearing back to Stonebridge.

Nikolas grumbled from the ground. “Bleh bleh immature.” He glanced at Atris, who glanced down at him. Nikolas quirked an eyebrow. Atris’ movements in astral hadn’t gone unnoticed by Niko – though they seemed to for Ashlynn.

So the dragon used astral to teleport too? Huh. That didn’t surprise Nikolas that much, but it was quite interesting to know. And probably something he should’ve noticed earlier.

Mouse leaned over the edge of the hay roll and Nikolas grunted as he rolled back onto his feet.

“Right, right, let me try that again.”