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Hi hii!! This is my first time uploading something here, so hopefully nothing goes wrong! This is just a short bit of writing I did about a month ago. It was mainly a piece to showcase River, one of my favorite OCs, her corruption for using void magic, and an enchanted deck of cards. This one isn't really much, but I plan to post more writing here! Some maybe even NSFW, who knows uwu
What should have been an easy slip-in-and-out mission on a passing caravan ended in a flop.
The row of carts passed along a dirt road, skirted with trees and shrubs that were perfect for cover. Each cart was flanked by mounted Ferians, armed with rifles and blades. River had no fear at the scent of gunpowder, as no shots were going to be fired. Perched on a tree branch, the polecat-kobold hybrid pulled out her pair of blink gems. She tossed one at a cart, scoring it through the small gap in the window. With a burst of archaic energy into the gem in her hand, she vanished from the branch and reappeared where the unguarded stash of gold and precious gems were held. It seemed all too easy, but as she fed a burlap sack with gems and gold ingots, the cart was jostled. Chaos stirred outside the cart in a matter of seconds, and the tiger driving the cart had entered and caught River.
A change of plan was forced out of her. She threw one of the blink gems out of the window and, clutching the other blink gem, flashed out of the cart just before the tiger’s dagger plunged into her arm. She reappeared in a bush, and she picked up the tossed gem and broke into a sprint with her half-filled sack. Curious and furious, she looked over her shoulder to see what had interrupted her stealth operation, and her rage intensified upon spotting Skittertail tossing his arcane cards at the guards and drivers of the caravan.
She didn’t stop to help him. She’d already decided that it wasn’t worth her energy to help the rat that disrupted her mission. With the booming of the firearms echoing behind her, he could get shot for all she cared.
A little over an hour passed, and River returned to the scene to find only the trail of the departed caravan. She stood there, waiting, and there he arrived. She turned around and shot a glare at Skittertail, who wore a smirk as he defensively waved his hands. Bandages were wrapped around them and along his arms.
“Easy now, River. I’m here to apologize and admit that the botched operation was my bad.” The rat’s pink, slender tail pulled down the hood of his cloak. Its end was sticky with sap, and it wrapped around his waist. “So… I’m sorry.”
“You realize that the operation was supposed to be for me alone, right?” River took a heavy step forward. “We talked about the details of the mission, and I made it clear I was going in solo. All of you agreed to it.” Her glare grew fiercer. “Did your damn sister ‘help’ too?”
“She’s back at the hideout. It was only me that went here.”
River took slow, threatening steps as she said, “So why did you show up, blow my cover, and spoiled the loot I could have hauled? I barely got anything!”
“But you still got something. We can still trade in what you got. It should sustain a few families for some time. As for why I decided to intervene…” The cool in his white-furred face disappeared, replaced by timidity. “I got a bit nervous for you, considering how badly hurt you got in your last solo mission. I thought serving as a distraction would’ve drawn all attention away from you, but I honestly didn’t expect them to fight back.”
“And why is that? It’s a convoy, an armed one at that. What made your vermin mind think that they wouldn’t retaliate?”
Skittertail scowled at her word choice. He sighed. “Look, let’s just go back to the hideout. There’s more missions for us to do, more caravans for you to pilfer.” He turned around and tossed a nonchalant hand as he walked off. “And there’s hopefully a warm meal waiting for us.”
River balled her hands into fists. She shadowed Skittertail. One heavy stride after another. In her right hand, a dagger with a dark purple blade materialized with a faint violet flash. The blade pulsed a similar light, and dark veins began to spread up her arm. She raised her corrupted weapon, and as she brought the blade down, it made hard contact. But it wasn’t against Skittertail’s flesh.
It looked as though River had stabbed and pierced the air, like an invisible creature got in the way. Skittertail had stopped walking. His tail unwound from his waist, and stuck to the tip of it was a card pulled from his enchanted deck. Held in front of River’s face, she could see that it was a barrier spell that he drew.
“Put that weapon away, River.”
“You didn’t expect the convoy to retaliate, but you were ready for me to attack you?” River pulled the knife out and attempted another stab, only to strike the barrier again. “What does that say about your judgment of me?”
Skittertail turned around. His eyes were usually red, but as he glared defiantly at River, his right eye had gone dark. “I sensed you drawing that dagger from the void. I only wanted to check if using your blink gems had too much of an effect on you. It seems it did.”
River snarled. She withdrew her dagger from the barrier and took skittish steps back to create distance. He was easy prey. His barrier would only be able to sustain a few more strikes, and his flesh would be vulnerable for her blade. He may know her tricks, but his survivability was tied to his luck. She was confident, with Petra to grant her strength, that she could run his luck out.
A step forward, and Skittertail backstepped in response. The darkness in the rat’s eyes vanished, returning its crimson color. He looked nervous, as he should be. Another step forward, another step back from him. That hint of fear in his face grew more familiar to River, but it was not his face that her mind recalled. Gripping her dagger, preparing to slash, pain twinged in her mind. Her weapon grip remained taut, but her resolve faltered.
Murderer.
The word echoed in her mind over and over, uttered by the voices of the past—Petra’s was one of them, or at least River believed it was Petra with how much sinister yet amused it sounded. Her dagger vanished as she smacked both hands against her temples, willing silence in her mind and failing.
Skittertail remained standing several meters away from her, yet she felt cold hands rest on her shoulders. She heard her own voice laugh behind her, sinister and full of malice. "Give in to me," said the disconnected voice.
River fell to her knees. The branching dark veins had spread to her left arm and hand, and she could feel its cool burning sensation creeping up her face.
Skittertail dropped all caution and ran up to her, crouching and wrapping an arm across her back. His right eye went dark once more. “Oh gods, River.” He reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a silver bracelet with the mark of the goddess Ventay. “Here, wear it.” He grabbed River’s arm, but she pushed him away.
The pounding in River’s head did not abate, nor did the throbbing in her chest. Her vision grew dark and hazy as she’d almost slipped completely into the corruption. She let out a cry to the heavens. She got to her feet, pulling up her hood and running into the woods. Skittertail called her, but much like earlier, she left him behind. It wasn’t safe for her to be around anyone, not in this state. A church of the Spirivants could cleanse her corruption, but she learned that even a structure of purity couldn’t restrain her dark urges.
There was virtually no place where Skittertail and his sister couldn’t track her, but she hoped that Skittertail knew to not look for her. She wouldn’t allow herself to etch another name in her mind if she could help it.
What should have been an easy slip-in-and-out mission on a passing caravan ended in a flop.
The row of carts passed along a dirt road, skirted with trees and shrubs that were perfect for cover. Each cart was flanked by mounted Ferians, armed with rifles and blades. River had no fear at the scent of gunpowder, as no shots were going to be fired. Perched on a tree branch, the polecat-kobold hybrid pulled out her pair of blink gems. She tossed one at a cart, scoring it through the small gap in the window. With a burst of archaic energy into the gem in her hand, she vanished from the branch and reappeared where the unguarded stash of gold and precious gems were held. It seemed all too easy, but as she fed a burlap sack with gems and gold ingots, the cart was jostled. Chaos stirred outside the cart in a matter of seconds, and the tiger driving the cart had entered and caught River.
A change of plan was forced out of her. She threw one of the blink gems out of the window and, clutching the other blink gem, flashed out of the cart just before the tiger’s dagger plunged into her arm. She reappeared in a bush, and she picked up the tossed gem and broke into a sprint with her half-filled sack. Curious and furious, she looked over her shoulder to see what had interrupted her stealth operation, and her rage intensified upon spotting Skittertail tossing his arcane cards at the guards and drivers of the caravan.
She didn’t stop to help him. She’d already decided that it wasn’t worth her energy to help the rat that disrupted her mission. With the booming of the firearms echoing behind her, he could get shot for all she cared.
A little over an hour passed, and River returned to the scene to find only the trail of the departed caravan. She stood there, waiting, and there he arrived. She turned around and shot a glare at Skittertail, who wore a smirk as he defensively waved his hands. Bandages were wrapped around them and along his arms.
“Easy now, River. I’m here to apologize and admit that the botched operation was my bad.” The rat’s pink, slender tail pulled down the hood of his cloak. Its end was sticky with sap, and it wrapped around his waist. “So… I’m sorry.”
“You realize that the operation was supposed to be for me alone, right?” River took a heavy step forward. “We talked about the details of the mission, and I made it clear I was going in solo. All of you agreed to it.” Her glare grew fiercer. “Did your damn sister ‘help’ too?”
“She’s back at the hideout. It was only me that went here.”
River took slow, threatening steps as she said, “So why did you show up, blow my cover, and spoiled the loot I could have hauled? I barely got anything!”
“But you still got something. We can still trade in what you got. It should sustain a few families for some time. As for why I decided to intervene…” The cool in his white-furred face disappeared, replaced by timidity. “I got a bit nervous for you, considering how badly hurt you got in your last solo mission. I thought serving as a distraction would’ve drawn all attention away from you, but I honestly didn’t expect them to fight back.”
“And why is that? It’s a convoy, an armed one at that. What made your vermin mind think that they wouldn’t retaliate?”
Skittertail scowled at her word choice. He sighed. “Look, let’s just go back to the hideout. There’s more missions for us to do, more caravans for you to pilfer.” He turned around and tossed a nonchalant hand as he walked off. “And there’s hopefully a warm meal waiting for us.”
River balled her hands into fists. She shadowed Skittertail. One heavy stride after another. In her right hand, a dagger with a dark purple blade materialized with a faint violet flash. The blade pulsed a similar light, and dark veins began to spread up her arm. She raised her corrupted weapon, and as she brought the blade down, it made hard contact. But it wasn’t against Skittertail’s flesh.
It looked as though River had stabbed and pierced the air, like an invisible creature got in the way. Skittertail had stopped walking. His tail unwound from his waist, and stuck to the tip of it was a card pulled from his enchanted deck. Held in front of River’s face, she could see that it was a barrier spell that he drew.
“Put that weapon away, River.”
“You didn’t expect the convoy to retaliate, but you were ready for me to attack you?” River pulled the knife out and attempted another stab, only to strike the barrier again. “What does that say about your judgment of me?”
Skittertail turned around. His eyes were usually red, but as he glared defiantly at River, his right eye had gone dark. “I sensed you drawing that dagger from the void. I only wanted to check if using your blink gems had too much of an effect on you. It seems it did.”
River snarled. She withdrew her dagger from the barrier and took skittish steps back to create distance. He was easy prey. His barrier would only be able to sustain a few more strikes, and his flesh would be vulnerable for her blade. He may know her tricks, but his survivability was tied to his luck. She was confident, with Petra to grant her strength, that she could run his luck out.
A step forward, and Skittertail backstepped in response. The darkness in the rat’s eyes vanished, returning its crimson color. He looked nervous, as he should be. Another step forward, another step back from him. That hint of fear in his face grew more familiar to River, but it was not his face that her mind recalled. Gripping her dagger, preparing to slash, pain twinged in her mind. Her weapon grip remained taut, but her resolve faltered.
Murderer.
The word echoed in her mind over and over, uttered by the voices of the past—Petra’s was one of them, or at least River believed it was Petra with how much sinister yet amused it sounded. Her dagger vanished as she smacked both hands against her temples, willing silence in her mind and failing.
Skittertail remained standing several meters away from her, yet she felt cold hands rest on her shoulders. She heard her own voice laugh behind her, sinister and full of malice. "Give in to me," said the disconnected voice.
River fell to her knees. The branching dark veins had spread to her left arm and hand, and she could feel its cool burning sensation creeping up her face.
Skittertail dropped all caution and ran up to her, crouching and wrapping an arm across her back. His right eye went dark once more. “Oh gods, River.” He reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a silver bracelet with the mark of the goddess Ventay. “Here, wear it.” He grabbed River’s arm, but she pushed him away.
The pounding in River’s head did not abate, nor did the throbbing in her chest. Her vision grew dark and hazy as she’d almost slipped completely into the corruption. She let out a cry to the heavens. She got to her feet, pulling up her hood and running into the woods. Skittertail called her, but much like earlier, she left him behind. It wasn’t safe for her to be around anyone, not in this state. A church of the Spirivants could cleanse her corruption, but she learned that even a structure of purity couldn’t restrain her dark urges.
There was virtually no place where Skittertail and his sister couldn’t track her, but she hoped that Skittertail knew to not look for her. She wouldn’t allow herself to etch another name in her mind if she could help it.
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Mustelid (Other)
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 16.4 kB
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