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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years

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Cracker of Sprites: a TDP ficlet

Characters: Soren, Claudia

Rating: Gen

Word count: 500

Tags: Angst, Brodigies, Canon compliant, Pre-Lux Aurea, The worst stupid reference ever I apologize in advance, My enby cracked open a Sprite can and then this happened, Claudia is sweet but terrible, Empathy what empathy, Soren’s just trying to be a good brother, Soren hates bugs though, Squeezing magic out of things: Xadian version

Claudia, Cracker of Sprites, First of Her Name

“I don’t know why I keep following you into tight scrapes like this,” Soren grouched. He wedged himself through the narrow cave entrance after his sister and silently bemoaned the hours he’d have to spend buffing out all the scratches in his armor. Did Xadia even have armor buffing cream? Maybe he hadn’t brought enough from home.

“It’s because we’re family, Soren,” Claudia said brightly. She headed fearlessly into the dark. “I’ll only be a sec. I just want to see what’s in here. You’ll never know what could prove useful if you never push your comfort zone, right, Mr. Muscles?”

Soren flexed through the last narrow spot and stumbled into a wider cavern beside her. He gazed up at the vast and hollow—and somehow distinctly Xadian—blackness that awaited them and scratched the back of his head. “Well, I am pretty uncomfortable right now. There aren’t any, y’know, moon moths in here or anything, are there? Or other… creepy gross magic bug things?” He shivered as he thought of his dad’s little bug pal, which had mysteriously vanished just before Viren set out on foot toward Lux Aurea half an hour ago.

“Let’s find out,” Claudia said eagerly. She lifted her hand, ready to call up her handlight cantrip, when a little flicker of greenish-yellow light darted curiously toward them out of the vast void.

Soren took a step back with his hand on his sword, but Claudia stepped forward and snatched at the little light. It dodged, and she reached again. “Help me catch it, Soren!”

Reluctantly, Soren waved his hands toward the flighty thing, hoping to chase it toward Claudia. Instead, it bumped against his hand and clung to his index finger, staring at him with wide golden eyes. Limbs like sticks poked from a long plated coat of gleaming chartreuse chitin, while two big spots on its wings pulsed with light.

Soren blinked. The little sprite blinked. “Some kind of… sprite thing?”

“‘Sprite thing’ isn’t a thing in Xadia, Soren.” Claudia pulled it off his finger by its wings. “Ha! Gotcha, little guy. Now, what are you?” She held the struggling buglike critter near her face and turned it this way and that. She even tried to give it a sniff, but the thing squeaked angrily and swiped at her nose. “Ow, hey! Little pest! That was super uncalled for. If I had more light, I could see you better… Wait!”

Soren could tell Claudia was excited, but he wasn’t sure why. “Clauds? What is that thing?”

The young dark mage shook the sprite, and its wings began glowing brightly. Then she wrapped both hands around its slender body and snapped it with a sudden crack. Bright lemon yellow rays radiated from between Claudia’s fingers, filling the cave with light for dozens of feet.

Soren winced for the poor little guy, feeling acutely aware of his own suit of armor.

Claudia turned to him, her gleeful face uplit by her recent magic harvest. She waggled the limp, incandescent form in her hand for him to see. “Look, Soren! It’s a glow stick!”

#tdp ficlet #tdp #my writing #tdp angst #tdp claudia #soren #brodigies #claudia cracker of sprites first of her name #funny and horrible

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