Loksfjoer

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

When the training for the day was over, Fenna first went to collect her new boots and handed the leatherworker the money after some small talk. They talked about the upcoming siege and Fenna explainer the role that was appointed to her. The jovial Nimuer expressed his complete faith in her abilities. Fenna tried her new boots on and the fit was perfect. She thanked Nimuer and praised his skills before leaving his shop to walk back to the Mended Drum. Sil circled in the air above her, sometimes flying ahead and then sitting on a roof to wait for her to catch up.

On the way, Fenna noticed a group of hooded figures, their clothes were the same as those she had seen come up some stairs in the underground spa. She slowed down a bit.
"People are talking about a disappearance and that the last time he was seen he was in the area of the spa." One of them said.
"We should increase security, no one may go down there," another added.
She couldn't hear the rest of the conversation as they had passed each other, but the words lingered in her mind. Disappearance? She and her friends had appeared in stone coffins from another world, could a disappearance mean a similar thing but to another world? Were they talking about a portal? A potential way home? Down there, that had to be those stairs in the spa. The Witch Queen had talked about a way of sending them home, there had to be more than just one. Wasn't that something Zell had said as well? She decided to check it out and if there was a portal she'd tell her friends about it.

Fenna took a right turn and went straight to the spa. The people at the entrance remembered her well, big spenders were always fondly remembered and when they asked how she was doing she told them about her new role in the defence of the city. It painted her in an even better picture, so she continued with a sob story about a precious heirloom that she had lost and she asked if she could go look for it. They allowed her access and one of the staff went with her to look at the spots in the dressing room that weren't cleaned on a daily basis, in case it was there. Perfect. She made sure to stay behind the employee and when they reached the junction leading into a "staff only" corridor, she went over the chains and quietly walked towards the stairs where the hooded people had come from. By the time she went down, the employee backtracked to see where she had gone.

The stone stairs led into a cave, her footsteps echoed as she went further in. There were lightsources at the wall, similar to other lights she had seen in the city, which meant people did walk here more often. There was a faint humming or buzzing sounds ahead, and a cold flickering light. At the end she rounded a corner and entered a room and she stopped. In the center of the room was something she could only describe as a tiny sun. It was mostly bright white light, but all colours appeared and disappeared on the surface and danced across it in irregular patterns. It was beautiful. Fenna approached it to have a good look. Was this a portal? She didn't want to touch it, but it was mesmerizing. The air felt heavier with every step she got closer. Was it even possible to get to it? She leaned on her spear and reached out a hand just to feel how different it was at arms lenght.

She didn't hear the footsteps echoing behind her. Hooded people were rushing towards the room.

The energy fluctuated and like a solar flare some of the energy arched out, making contact with her hand. It travelled through her arm, her body and out of her other arm, through her spear into the ground. It felt scorching hot and ice cold at the same time. It was over in a moment.

"H-hey, y-you can't be here," someone said and Fenna turned around. The hooded figures.
"Oh, sorry, I'll leave," Fenna said and she walked towards them, trying to play it cool. She did not expect the group to step aside and let her pass. She now had a good look at their faces; she recognised the tatoos she had seen the first time, all strange symbols she didn't know the meaning of. And for some reason they stared at her, jaws dropped, disbelief in their eyes. Like she was some kind of fish walking on land. She ignored it, her head hurt and she just wanted to get some fresh air now.

Inside her mind she felt Sil's fear. "Calm down darling, I'm on my way back," she whispered. What had gotten her falcon so agitated? She walked up the stairs, past the front desk and stepped outside. Sil immediately came down, took hold of her shoulder and upper arm and used her beak to touch Fenna's hair and cheek. "It's okay, I'm fine," she assured the falcon. Sil refused to let her go and Fenna walked back with her spear in one hand and the falcon on her shoulder.

All she wanted was to go to bed, she had a massive headache and her body was sore as if she had the flu. She didn't even notice her spear emitted a faint silvery light in the darkness of the night. When she reached the Mended Drum she went inside, she didn't stop to see if any of her party was in the common room and she didn't realize Sil was still holding on to her. She went straight to her room and flopped down on the bed as soon as it was in sight, still in armour, dropping her spear on the ground. Sil flew up and settled on the nearby chair.

At first she was just glad she could let her sore body rest, but sleep soon came over her.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

None of the television shows and movies had prepared Fenna actually to train recruits and she looked to the left and the right to get an idea of how the others handled it, and then she turned to her second in command. After a short conversation she took the Falcons with her and jogged to where they were supposed to go when they were called for battle.
"Know this place," she told them. "This is where we will be fighting. Archers, you will take positions there and there. Once the close combat starts, join in with swords." She walked forward. "If the enemy reaches this point, we switch to melee. You will practice with a shield and spears for mid-range and swords or long knives for close combat." She recalled a documentary that explained how spears were used quite often in combat and having thought with one herself she understood why. Keeping the enemy at some distance was preferable, especially with the backup archers could provide. "We will practice with our weapons several times today and the coming days, increasing the duration each time. I can't predict how long the battle will last, so we need endurance."
There would be some practice at aiming, but dummies were limited and they needed to wait their turn at the range. While they waited, they could work on strengthening their muscles to keep up the shields and poke at the enemies. Overall, she was happy with how the first training went.

Paranormal Activities [SporkoBug and Calle]

Mike watched Harriet do her magic and didn't speak to allow her to concentrate. He stepped forward when the illusion was brought up, watching Benjamin and the shadowy figure, and how Benjamin was suddenly taken by it.
"Maybe..." he began and paused. "Our magic isn't really strong, but I did read about some kind of tracking ritual that will allow you to find the whereabouts of a human you know. There should be a table back at the agency with the runes already carved into it, we just need a map and a pendulum kind of thing." Mike turned to Harriet. "Unless you have anything that could work now?"

Nobody Will Believe It [SporkoBug and Calle]

"Possible," Benjamin said in responce to Dia's first comment. "Maybe the lower employees are let in and out when their shift starts or ends. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case." If all else failed, maybe they could get a key by force, but then they'd need to have an exit strategy ready. He listened to what Dia said about requesting Marc as they walked to where the staff usually entered and left, he frowned at the white door. It made sense. "Okay, I will request Marc," he said. "I will go to the common room, maybe you can go ahead to my room. I'll talk him into going there."

Benjamin went to the common room and approached one of the nurses.
"Excuse me, Marc is working now, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"I may be experiencing side effects and I want to discuss them with him first."
"You can talk about that to me."
"Ah, well, you see..." Benjamin glanced down to his crotch, "I kinda would prefer another man to discuss it with."
After an exasprated sigh, the nurse called Marc to the common room.

Marc, who had been busy going through files, answered the call and made his way to the common room, where he heard about Benjamin's request. He nodded and walked with Benjamin to his room.

Writing contest - Once upon a time

Because there will be no voting round, I will share the entries here. You can still give feedback if you wish.

The next contest will be Microfiction and Poetry again.

Entry 1 - An Unexpected Reunion

Once upon a time. Once upon a time. Once upon a time. Every single children's book in the library starts with 'once upon a time' and ends with 'and they lived happily ever after'. However, my reality doesn't even come close to being this rosy.

Orders were given to keep me away from my own child, and the worst thing about that situation is that my brother was the one calling the shots. One would assume him taking my side after seeing me interact with my daughter every single day.

No, it isn't normal in our culture to keep living with your parents after having children of your own. I realise that. I understand that, but living on the streets due to a lack of resources is certainly worse. I don't think anyone disagrees with that.

Charming is how I would describe the father of my daughter. Living with him wasn't exactly an option, because he refused to acknowledge my existence. He said he had a wife that he 'forgot' to tell me about. That is why I should keep our child a secret.

Even the decency to help pay the bills wasn't present in this man. How did I ever love him? How did I ever create a child with him? Why did I allow myself to fall into his traps? I will never understand that or forgive myself for it.

Until I met Sarah, a woman five years younger than me, I was so depressed that I couldn't leave my own house. I didn't feel like it. I didn't want to. My child was my life and they chose to take her away from me. I felt like I had nothing to live for anymore.

Primarily because of Sarah, I started to go out again. I learned to enjoy life again. I still thought about my daughter every single day, but I accepted the fact that no one was going to hear my side of the story. No one was going to allow me to be close to that little girl.

Of course the thought crossed my mind that I was a bad mother for giving up the fight, but it also didn't feel like I had another option. The only option I had left, was choosing myself and my own happiness over a fight that I would lose every single time.

Nine years after meeting Sarah, that's when our wedding took place. We had been together for three years already, so it felt like it was time. A lot of our guests asked if we were going to try for a child. With Sarah being infertile and me being too old, we had to disappoint them.

At our honeymoon, we met a beautiful young lady who was celebrating her good grades by going on a vacation with friends. Even though she and her friends had plans to go party every single evening, she chose to drink with us from time to time.

That she was the daughter I lost, was quite obvious. Sarah tried to convince me to tell her the truth, but I didn't have to courage. The young woman told us about her lovely family. From what I heard, it didn't seem likely that she knew about her past or even the fact that she was adopted.

I wanted to leave it at that. Knowing that she ended up well, living a good life, was all I needed to stop feeling guilty. She was obviously well raised by people who had good intentions and genuinely loved her.

My daughter turned out to be smarter than I thought. On our last day together, she came up to use to tell us that she knew everything. She had a feeling that we were connected somehow and remembered me mentioning a daughter once very shortly. She had called her parents who told her the truth. Now she wanted to know my truth. And I finally told her.

Exactly one year later, my daughter told me that she was expecting herself... and that wanted me as the godmother.

Entry 2 - Once upon a time

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there was a contest
None had entered a single submission
Consequently no one was judged the best
Everyone won and lost that edition.

Unsated a new contest starts again
Perchance to find a winner should it please
One lone entry was duly written then
Now unopposed the story won with ease.

And the moral of the story is clear...

To try at all is a victory still
In writing one more entries must appear
More tales to tell and stories to thrill
Everyone then becomes a winner here.

Writing contest - Once upon a time

Last day! The deadline will be in 21 hours.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

During breakfast, Fenna thought back to the wonderful time at the spa and the hooded figures she had seen. What was located below the spa? It was something she was curious about, but it didn't seem relevant to bring up. It was a mild curiosity that kept her thoughts from wandering too far, like back to earth.

A messenger came in and James had things to say. Today was a big day. Again she was very thankful for MacKensie dragging her to the spa. It didn't sound like they would have a lot of time for such things today.

She nodded and smiled when Zell went to grab his gear after they were being summoned. While she was already dressed in her armour, she did need to get her spear. When her friends were ready as well, they set out to the Military Centre. For a while they were all silent, until Zell began talking about how it made sense they were split up and expressing how much faith he had in them.
"We can do this," Fenna said, although she wasn't fully convinced herself. She had never seen herself in a leadership position before, and now she was supposed to lead soldiers into a war. Although she had successfully organised family vacations, that had to count for something.

Fenna went with the others to the Military Centre where she listened to what Vice Commander Jeremiah had to say. She was introduced to her block and saluted back when the hundred soldiers saluted her. Wasn't that what the military did? Her only experience was watching war movies on TV and she had spent many hours watching Dad's Army. It would be fine.
"Good morning, I'm Fenna, a Ranger of Second Chance." She noticed the name was recognised by several soldiers and thankfully in a good way. "And I have been appointed as your Captain." She took in the white flag with two black triangles that met in the middle. "Do we have a name appointed to us?"
"Not yet ma'am," the soldier holding the flag pole replied.
"Right." She was about to call Sil, but the falcon came down already and landed on her extended arm. "Then we'll be the Falcons. Any objections?" There were none. "That's settled then."

Fenna relayed the information she had received about where her block had to gather when the alarm sounded and what their position would be. "I know the war seems big, so let's just focus on what we can do. If we work together and do our part in our section of the army, we will succeed. Use the time we have left to train." She had no idea if she was doing a good job as captain, but at least the soldiers listened to what she had to say. There were still some things she had to figure out, but at least the day had only just begun."Next I want you all to introduce yourself. One by one give me your name and years of experience or hours trained with melee and ranged weapons. Front row far left begins."

It would give her some time to decide what to do next with these people she had to command. There was no way she'd remember all 100 names, but she'd try to remember as many as she could. Some of soldiers had barely any practice with weapons, but she could delegate the training to those with experience. It didn't surprise Fenna that not all soldiers were trained professionals, a good portion would be citizens who had taken up arms or were given arms to defend the city.

Nobody Will Believe It [SporkoBug and Calle]

Benjamin nodded to show he had heard Dia, but he wasn't sure what to say. Maybe they would run into Marc and he had mixed feelings about that. He had to admit Marc was one of the nurses who listened and he had an actual conversation with him.
"If we run into him, we could try talking to him," Benjamin said. He noticed another nurse, but didn't spot any keycards. There probably was some kind of policy about keeping them safe as this was a closed-down institution.
"I hope she'll find Ray..." he muttered. "We need to get out of this place.
A worker cleaned the floor, she too didn't have any obvious keys on her.
"Do you suppose we can have someone call Marc? Would there be a reason for a patient to request a specific nurse?"

Writing contest - Once upon a time

We are at 2 entries and 8 days left for the deadline.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

After leaving the dressing room with MacKensie Fenna noticed some cloaked figures standing together, but when they saw them they turned around. She had seen them before. When going from the hotspring to changing room there had been several connected corridors, several of which they had visited that day. Some had been labelled as "Staff Only", and from one of those she had seen these robed figures coming up the stairs. They had waited until MacKensie and Fenna had passed and for a moment she had made eye contact with one of them. It had lasted only a moment, in which she had noticed strange symbols on the man's forehead. It hadn't been important enough to bring up with MacKensie at that time.

Again she thought about the symbols as she walked towards the exit with MacKensie, they were familiar. Suddenly she remembered: the Magi-tech computers. That's where she had seen them, on the loading screen.

When MacKensie asked if they would go back to the Mended Drum, Fenna agreed. The day was almost over, it was a good moment to return to the inn.
As they walked and talked about budgets, Fenna explained about the boots she had ordered. Then the question about the bolts came.
"Of course, I can make you some fire bolts this evening," she promised and accepted the bolts MacKensie offered.

As MacKensie left to go to the Bazaar, Fenna paused to think about what she would now. Straight to the inn? Fenna decided to go to the park first, where she had left Sil. Maybe the falcon would still be there. In the fading light, she entered the park and Sil flew down from one of the trees. "I'm happy to see you too," she said, smiling at the bird. "I'm going back to the inn."
Sil spread her wings and flew up, going in the direction of the inn.

When Fenna arrived, Sil was sitting on the roof. She ordered a simple meal, even though the higher-priced meals were suggested to her. Of course they'd try to make the most of adventurers and wanted them to spend their money here, but Fenna stayed true to her budget. Eating was a necessity, but that didn't mean she had to spend a lot of money on it. In the end, if her stomach was full it was good enough.