xinoehp512

Ashley took in the strangers. Warriors, if the bloodstained surroundings and swords were any indication. Just wonderful. Hopefully they didn't have any reason to kill her, or she was almost certainly dead. "A scientist," she said, keeping her hands visible to make sure that her peaceful intentions were clear. "A hungry scientist. I don't suppose you have any food?"

Ashley Larue took a few steps and collapsed against a rock, breathing heavily. "Blitka," she muttered. "Of course. Of course." She'd been running for the past day, fleeing the... thing that had consumed her lab. She hadn't seen any signs that it was chasing her, so she might as well take a moment to rest and collect her bearings. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. List the facts, Ashley. What do you know? One. The attacker was a dyrling- a being of dreams. Or in this case, nightmares. Two. The dyrling was stronger than all of her soldiers combined- although to be fair, not much. Three. The mimes had a claim on this world. Four. The mimes could have defeated the dyrling easily. Five. The mimes had a prison full of dark dyrlings. Six. The mimes didn't like her. Putting it all together, it seemed likely that the dryling was an attack by the mimes. But... that didn't make sense. The mimes had owned that prison for eons. If they were going to release a prisoner just to wreck a single enemy outpost, why do it now? I need more information, she thought. It was then that she heard the voices on the other side of the rock. Curious, she pulled herself to her still-sore legs and hobbled around cautiously to see who they were.

"Nothing, inherently. But a stick doesn't do much to do the impossible." He thought for a moment. "Neither does a sharp stick, for that matter, if you don't know how to use it. Do you you know how to use a sword?" he queried Melody.

X-6574 stumbles through, viewport fizzling and sparking.

"Well, every sword is different," said Gerald, "but usually they're used to stab people. Even the magic ones are usually no more than fancy sharp sticks."

Gerald only sighed wistfully.

From a merchant that traveled.

Fixed. Turns out they were getting marked spam.

I have not recieved any email notifications from 17th shard since 10/11 12:44 AM EST. My email has not been changed, and none of my notification settings have been altered. I receive the notification on the site, it simply never reaches my inbox. I have never experienced any issues before with posts not showing up in my inbox, except for a few times where moderators pinned posts before they were published. Does anyone has any idea what is going on, or what I can do to fix it?

"I used to be human," said Gerald gloomily.

Never to abate

For to sate

I'm still here, I guess. Not very much, though. I don't have much to say. There are 8 people still alive. 1 monk, 2-3 elims, 5-4 villagers... If there are four villagers, if Elk's kill hits a villager the monk wins. I don't know whether or not to reveal, slightly worried it might help the elims...

Truly great

Who had a rake.

Singing songs of absolute terror.

They were little bags of soil.

@Condensation @Enter a username

Because the money was made of dirt.

Sink all its money into investment opportunities, that is.

"James," says the old man. "Look." James glances up from the river once more, just in time to see Rish hand Vapor a pair of deep purple crystalline scissors. "What are those?" he asks, intrigued. "Look closer." "What does that mean?" The old man sighed. "I will not always be give you answers, you know..." "Fate be praised," muttered James, squinting to try and "see closer" - whatever that meant. The old man laughed, and - suddenly - reality began to fade. All except for a single bright light where Vapor stood, bright enough to be blinding. James squinted his eyes and glanced away. Look even closer, said the old man, his voice sounding echo-y and far away. And so James did, forcing his eyes to stare into the brilliant crystal. He looked deep, as deep as he could, trying to see what it was that the old man wanted him to see. Slowly, a pattern came into focus on the crystal's surface, marbled blue and white. It shifted and swirled mesmerizingly. Somehow James could tell that it wasn't just a surface pattern, but a reflection of what lay deeper inside - coded messages of its deepest, most hidden secrets. "I see," he said. "But... why?" The old man said nothing, but in his silence James could feel an invitation to keep watching. So he kept his eyes focused on the swirling patterns, trying not to let their ethereal beauty distract him. And then - all of a sudden - they shattered, breaking apart and falling from the crystal structure. James gasped in shock, concentration broken. "...what?" he choked out. "What was that?" "Those," said the old man solemnly, "were the marks of a soul. Thoughts. Feelings. Memories." James flicked horrified eyes at the fragments as they began to drift away from the now-spotless crystal. "You mean..." he whispered, "she's gone? Erased?" The old man didn't answer, only snapped his fingers. The fragmented blue shards began to switch direction, drifting towards James. They met in a point in front of him, rearranging and morphing into a single cohesive sapphire gemstone. He reached out, plucking it from the air, hands shaking slightly. This... this was all that was left of Vapor's soul. He didn't even know her that well, and now he was responsible for her life? "Don't want to lose that, do we?" said the old man, and black mist spun up to take the gemstone from James' hands. "Don't worry, I know a place where it will be quite safe." Reluctantly, James relinquished the gemstone, letting it vanish into his shadow. James suddenly felt an slight pressure on him. Not enough to be too uncomfortable, but not easy to ignore either. "Ah," said the old man. "She's spotted you at last." James heart nearly froze in place before his shadow continued. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let her see you if I thought there was any chance you would be in danger. I die if you die, after all." James shivered slightly. "Why can I feel it?" "This is her world," said the old man with a shrug. "Her word is law. Her thought is law. Most people, I think, would not be able to feel the brush of her attention. But you are hardly most people. Especially not here." The emphasis was strange. But James was too busy trying to shake off the uncanny feeling to notice.

"Questioning my answers, are you?" said the old man, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Perhaps a visual is in order..." The darkness around the pair deepened. Walls, furniture, ceiing - all vanished behind the thickening fog. James shivered as the temperature began to drop, and not just because of the chill. For as long as he could remember, darkness had been his biggest fear. Darkness, and the things that hid within. But even so... it felt familiar. Natural, almost. And that terrified him more than anything. Luckily for him, the darkness didn't last long. As quickly as it had set in, it began to fade once more. The surroundings began to come into focus, a tranquil forest lit by the surreal light of a full moon. A stream ran past James' feet, crystal clear water glowing silver with twice-reflected brilliance. Across the river stood a tall and majestic woman that radiated power. Once glance at her was all James needed to know that this was the mysterious Rish that Vapor had spoken of. And speaking of Vapor- there she was, right besides Rish, gazing into the water. Tears were running down her face. James wondered what it was that she was seeing that affected her so deeply. He glanced into the water to see if he could catch a glimpse, but all he could see was a reflection. "A prismatic mirror," said the old man, his picture rippling on the water as he stepped out from behind James. "Everyone sees something different... your young friend is, most likely, revisiting the past." "Her family," said James softly, shifting his gaze back to the girl on the opposite side of the river. "The ones she lost." The old man didn't respond, but James could feel affirmation emanate from him. James turned his gaze back into the water, looking at his reflection rippling on the water. If she can see the past... might I, as well? He focused, willing the picture to change, to show him the truth he'd lost. For a moment, he thought he could see an image ripple through his reflection. But perhaps it was only the white stones of the riverbed. Jeffery looked up sharply. "What?" he exclaimed. @Vapor