Halloween Fic Special Preview!
(A little chunk of Jus Sanguinis for the week while I try to scrape together enough brain cells to finish the last major scenes)
The coastal city of Spargus had lived with the storms for generations, watching the once broad oases narrow and dwindle as the winds displaced topsoil at devastating rates. The sands had swallowed many of their warriors before the Spargans created The Crawler. The massive armored vehicle, replete with emergency supplies and enough armor to give even a metalpede pause, undoubtedly saved lives. But it was slow moving, and Wastelanders on foot often did not have enough time to get to the mobile shelter before the damage to their skin and lungs was beyond the power of an eco pack to heal. And being the only vehicle of its kind meant that if one part broke -- say, a blown head gasket -- the behemoth was stranded until a replacement could be located and driven to its location...after the storm had ended.
"Piece of crap-!" Jak aimed a vicious kick at the front end of the cab and slammed the door behind him.
"This never happens when Daxter is here."
"I don't know whether that is meant to compliment Daxter, or to insult me," his companion said dryly.
King Damas pulled his scarf further up over his mouth and nose and gestured grimly to the massive tank on the Crawler's back.
"The wind is picking up. We need to get inside."
Jak shook sand out of his goggles and dropped to the ground to join him.
"What about the rest of the raiding party?" he snapped, "We can't just leave them!"
Damas’s hand twitched -- the only visible indication that he had any opinions on Jak’s tone.
"Getting angry is counterproductive," he said sharply. "They are all experienced survivors. They will know their best bet is to make it to Broken Sandal Canyon."
You're tense, too! Jak wanted to shout.
But fighting with Damas, he had long since learned, was a very poor life choice. Besides, this man had all but pried him out of the jaws of death before he even knew what Jak was capable of, binding their lives together despite the doubts of his subjects. Jak knew he didn't deserve to be lashed out at. But he just couldn't help it!
Without Daxter he was on-edge. Unsettled.
It couldn't be helped: Daxter was very unwillingly resting at home with some variation of a local childhood disease. As it turned out, being born hundreds of years earlier did not make one immune to The Gripes. Jak, curiously, had yet to manifest the allegedly contagious disease, despite having been in close quarters with Daxter until leaving with the raiding party that morning. Perhaps it was his generally eco-saturated nature that made him resistant to some germs?
Speaking of eco, were you paying attention to your dark intake during the ambush?
Jak shoved the thought away and trudged through the worsening winds to the back of the Crawler.
His eco levels were a little high, sure, but nothing he couldn't handle. He'd gone days without exploding before.
Liar. You exploded every single day in Haven, or near enough to it.
At least the engine failure didn't prevent anything else in the Crawler from working. The closing of the back hatch left them both stranded in a little island of flickering overhead light, while the sounds of the storm faded to a muffled hiss. Damas lowered himself to one of the benches anchored against the wall and stretched his legs out, using the net of medical supplies hanging from the overhead rack as a kind of backrest. He seemed far more comfortable with the situation than Jak was. He watched Jak pace in front of the hatch, noting with some interest that Jak was far more on-edge than usual. He wasn't just frustrated, he was rattled.
"It's just a storm, kid."
Damas leaned back and closed his eyes.
"You've driven in them before."
"Yeah," Jak grunted, "with Daxter."
"Hm." The king raised his brows, but did not open his eyes. "You're not often apart, are you?"
"Not if I can help it," Jak answered shortly. "Not looking to repeat two years of involuntary separation."
The hiss of the sand against the hull rose for a moment in the quiet that followed Jak's words. Then, half to himself, Damas murmured, "Ah. The prison."
Jak's stomach turned a flip.
He still didn't know what had possessed him to confess to his erstwhile conservator why he could transform. What had been done to him in the pits of the Fortress. Damas had taken it well at the time -- no disgust, or condescension- or worse, pity. But the fear nagged at Jak regardless with each following day, whispering in the back of his mind that Damas was looking at him different now. That if Jak strayed too far out of line, his past might be held up in front of him in an attempt to make sense of his actions.
The second he told people something was wrong with him, it became their go-to explanation every time he did something they didn't like. Even Dax did it once in a while- though he at least made conscious efforts to be less careless with his words. Honestly, Jak was shocked Damas hadn't brought it up after his moment of defiance in the Arena.
Something smacked against the Crawler's armor -- likely a rock -- and Jak jumped and cursed. It was too quiet in the shelter. He didn't like the quiet, or the lack of windows showing him what was going on outside. It was like being in a storage crate, or a garage.
Or a cell.
Feeling an electric twinge of weirdwrongbad crawling along the nerves surrounding his scar tissue, Jak began to pace quicker. He focused on breathing as much as he could, and let his gaze sweep across the hold. Any detail that could set this place apart from the cells was noted and clung to.
"Settle, boy."
Damas still hadn't opened his eyes. He folded his arms across his chest and shifted his weight slightly.
"We'll need our strength once the storm has passed. Don't waste your energy on restless nerves."
"Easy for you to say!" Jak retorted.
Watch it, Jak. Eco's boiling up. Get it under control before you really start mouthing off.*
"We've both seen what a storm like this can do to a person. To a broken down vehicle. How are you so calm right now?!"
The older warrior's lips quirked up with a soft chuckle.
"I've been around, kid," he answered wryly, "I've waited out my share of storms in the Crawler. This is no larger or smaller than any other sandstorm I've faced before."
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Serpentine
Halloween Monster Binge Pt. 3
As the young daughter of an ancient Tenebraen Oracle, the pressure of being the heir to divine powers forces you to take drastic measures. In your effort to escape your calling, you stumble upon a monster unlike any other.
Naga!Ardyn
Word Count: 3179
TW: snek
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The night was dark and damp, tendrils of soggy dirt clinging to your shoes as it transformed into mud. Leaves and loose branches ripped into your arms as you ran through some nameless forest, your destination just as vague. You’d picked a direction at random, unwilling to be picky in your haste. It didn’t really matter; you settled for just getting as far away from the palace as possible. To get away from the life you were doomed to at birth.
You were the young daughter to the Tenebraen royal family, heir to the duties of Oracle, which your mother currently carried out. It was an honor, everyone told you, being gifted by the gods. Such power that others envied, blessed with the healing touch of one divine.
But it didn’t feel like a gift, when you saw how it withered your mother away, turning her into skin and bone as she gave everything she had for your people. She’d barely passed thirty, and her skin prickled with faint wrinkles, her hair turned a ghostly pale grey. Death would come for her prematurely, as was destined by her duties. You respected her, knew it took great power to accept such a fate so willingly…but you didn’t want that life for yourself.
To make matters worse, you’d recently been betrothed to the prince of a distant kingdom, to mend the relationship between the two parties. Naturally, you were disappointed in this course of action, the chance at romance snatched from your fingers before you even had a mind to search for it. And the prince, your supposed husband, hadn’t the best attitude on the rare occasions you got to meet with him. He looked at you like you were another one of his servants, controlling your every action, berating you for the smallest mistake, lest a hand be swiftly brought against you.
You shuddered at the memory, bounding over a fallen log as your legs propelled you forward. The air was sharp, cutting into your mouth and throat as you panted. Vines and roots reached out to you, pulling on your clothes, your hair. The cuts were beginning to sting, the bruises ached with dull throbs. You had no idea how long you’d been running, but you were losing steam fast. Everything hurt. Everything screamed for respite.
Your body began to fail itself, muscles tightening with cramps and refusing to contract. You slowed to a walk, and when even that proved too much, bent over to brace yourself on your knees. You gasped in gulps of humid air, your face on fire and covered in sweat. Your legs were numb, striking against the unfair burden of running for miles on uneven terrain.
You knew you needed to keep going, though. The guards had surely found your empty room by now, the regretful note you’d left on your pillow. They would be out looking for you, combing through the brush for any minuscule clue as to your whereabouts. Staying close to the palace was foolish at best, suicidal at worst.
You could only imagine how they would punish you, leaving the Oracle without an heir…they very well may see it as an act of treason.
Yet your legs remained rigid, uncaring to the whims of your determination, much less your logic. It would’ve been impossible to continue in such a state. You weren’t out of shape so to speak, but you certainly weren’t the kind to take recreational jogs through the woods. With how bad you had it, you were more likely to alert your pursers with your imprecise stumbling than make any meaningful ground.
You needed a place to recover, a place to hide.
Realizing that was your only other option, you weakly raised your head, scanning the gentle incline of the hill you’d run to. It was hard to see anything, the rain attacking your eyes and the minimal light taking the last of your sight. Bleary shapes and encroaching shadows surrounded you, peering in at the pitiful creature in their domain with apathy. The forest was deafened with a mocking silence, letting your ragged breaths ring like an echoing bell.
As you looked over the black masses, a part of the mountain stuck out to you. A patch that seemed much darker, gaping out into the night with an open maw. You squinted at it, trying to discern the reason for such a conspicuous void. Then it clicked.
A cave.
You let out a long breath, a sigh of relief. With a grunt of effort, you forced your legs into motion, feet flopping limply at the ends. Your body whined in protest, but survival instincts had you pushing through the soreness. You just had to make it to the cave, burrow deep into its concealing darkness…then you could rest, you promised yourself.
Exhaustion stretched the distance to a nearly unbearable length, tempting you to give into drowsiness, let yourself crumple onto the damp earth. With a force of will, you came to stand before the opening, carved into jagged rock with fangs made of stalactites. Rather unsettling, though you couldn’t afford to be choosy.
Without hesitation, you stumbled inside, sighing in bliss when the pelt of rain no longer struck your back. The freezing water had numbed you, trying with all its might to send you into hypothermia. Your hair stuck to your face, your clothes were soaked, and your fingers tingled with encroaching frostbite.
But at least you could rest for a moment in here.
You slowly continued down the stone corridor, getting away from the entrance and venturing deeper inside. If you thought it was hard to see before, now it was practically impossible, what little moonlight you’d taken for granted suddenly blocked by a canopy of sediment. It absorbed the chill of the autumn storm, causing a rash of chicken skin to spread across your arms, trying desperately to hold in the small amount of heat you had. Tiny needles of ice punctured your flesh, daggers of chill cutting through you like butter.
You had to remind yourself several times that this was your best course of action. You would take freezing in a cave over being sold to an abusive husband.
It was still a grueling process to get sufficiently deep into the cavern, your body ready to collapse with the promise of rest. You pushed through it, only willing to stop when the light had nearly disappeared behind you, and a void stretched out before you. Hopefully, whoever was searching for you wouldn’t think to come so far inside, and you could relax for a moment before moving on.
You reached your hands out, groping blindly for something to lean against. You winced when your palm grazed a wall, the unpolished stone biting into your hand. It was good enough though, and you finally let your legs dissolve in a heap, the floor becoming your makeshift bed. You reclined on the freezing wall, hissing as your spine met cold rock. You hated the feeling of wet fabric squishing into you, but you would have to put up with it. You allowed your head to droop, closing your eyes to entertain the idea of sleep. You breathed long and deep, in through your nose and out your mouth, concentrating on the drag of your lungs in labor.
Time passed at a snail's pace, the various aches and pains that littered your body milking each second that dragged by. This was undoubtedly the most unpleasant experience you’d ever had, time only making you more aware of that. Albeit, there wasn’t much competition, being pampered royalty your whole life. Though the sound of distant rain was soothing, lulling you into a state of dreamy inattentiveness.
That was probably why it took you so long to notice something was off. A scraping sound echoed to you, from off to your right, from deeper in the cave. It didn’t immediately alarm you, but it was certainly curious, an unfamiliar noise. You furrowed your brows, trying to hone in on it and discern what it was. Like papers being shuffled, or sand running down a dune.
You were so distracted, you almost didn’t notice the sound growing louder, coming towards the entrance fast.
Coming towards you.
Your eyes flew open with a start, hearing it draw closer and closer. Panicked, you tried to scramble up and run, but your legs had grown stiff, refusing to allow you escape. You flopped back onto the ground gracelessly with a surprised yell, filling your heart with dread as you realized you were stuck. You body had given up on you.
Whatever you’d enraged or alerted, there was no getting away from it.
You cried out in fear as a black mass shot into the light, its long, writhing body settling right in front of you, curling and folding on itself. Two glowing, yellow slit eyes peered down at your pathetic form, attached to the head of a man…whose torso darkened just below his navel, turning into something else.
It wasn’t the sound of paper you heard.
It was the sound of scales slithering across stone.
Your heart thundered in your chest, utterly terrified at the monster that was now staring you down. The light from outside combined with the primordial shine of his inhuman eyes gave you the ability to fully comprehend what was before you. The outline of a man, upper half toned and muscled, severed at the abdomen, where scales began and a great snake emerged. The body twisted and knotted into itself, fluid like spools of yarn without shape or constraint. The glow of his eyes illuminated his face; wispy hair that stuck out wildly, the short peppering of stubble, and his expression, contorted into a satisfied grin.
To say you were afraid was an understatement. The blood drained from your face, and you lost the will to scream for help. Hyperventilation was an easy thing, soon making you pant for a different reason. He completely dwarfed you, at least thirty meters in length, and even his human parts were at least twice your own size. You huddled up against the sides of the cave, suddenly feeling incredibly foolish for ever leaving the safety of your home.
The tension was palpable as you stared at each other, anxiety making your stomach churn. You were unable to look away, gaze captured by the morbid beauty of his golden irises. A forked tongue slipped past his lips, smelling the air, tasting you in it. You shivered at the sight.
“Oh my,” the beast finally spoke, after retracting the slimy muscle. His voice caught you off guard, the rugged, yet refined tone not something you would’ve expected from such a creature. It reminded you too much of the nobleman who would stalk your castle halls, waiting for a chance to court you.
For once, you would’ve preferred such a scenario over your current one.
“What have we here?”
You swallowed thickly. A moment passed in suspenseful silence before you realized he expected an answer from you. Trains of thought raced and derailed, trying to come up with some way to convince him to spare your miserable life.
Like he would even entertain such a thing.
“P-please,” you whispered, but the tremble in your tone still came through clear as day. “I…I did not mean to intrude…Or o-offend.”
He tilted his head to the side, wearing his smirk like a prized piece of jewelry. It was extremely disturbing, how pleased he seemed. He hardly considered your answer before responding.
“Worry not, my dear. You have not offended me.”
Some of the tension in the air eased at that, knowing that you hadn’t provoked him. You slowly let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Perhaps there was a glimmer of hope that you weren’t doomed, as long as he was willing to remain civil.
“Quite the contrary…” he continued, gently lowering himself from a striking position, his human half looming over you. You couldn’t help but stiffen back up as he inched closer, the likelihood of being grabbed raising as he did so. His unblinking eyes were locked on you, and you found it hard to look away.
“I have not had one so lovely grace my dwelling in some time…”
It took you a moment to really understand what he meant. That line of thinking did not bode well for your continued freedom. You fumbled with a rebuttal, grasping at straws, trying to find something that would get him to reconsider.
“M-my parents are of royal blood,” you stated, suddenly struck with inspiration. “I-if you hurt me, t-they’ll hunt you down!”
He looked at you, unmoving for a second, before his smile grew wider, far too amused by your silly begging. A low hiss hummed through his throat, a contented sound that had your hair standing on end.
“Is that so?” He replied, slowly and deliberately, enunciating each syllable. His gaze rolled over you, sizing you up.
“Then it seems…I’ve found my next mate.”
Your eyes widened, a tiny gasp parting your lips in shock, horrified at the implications.
Without warning, something wormed behind your back, a thick tendril that had to be his tail. It startled you, an involuntary scream ripping out of your mouth. He lifted you up like a limp toy, tossing you into his restless snake-like form, which immediately began to constrict around you. Your arms were pinned to your sides by polished scales, trapping you against him as he wrapped around you, just like his helpless prey. You squirmed in his grasp, yelling in frustration when within seconds you could hardly move, tears brimming in your eyes in anger and despair. His hold pushed on your chest as he squeezed, limiting the amount of air you could get and making you even more afraid.
“Who better than royal blood to mother my eggs?” He mused happily as he began to settle again, feeling that you wouldn’t be able to get out of his grip, your weak struggling a sorry sight to behold.
Indeed, you’d hardly had the strength to stand just moments ago. It had taken everything you had to even get this far, and by now, you were beyond spent. There was nothing you could do, choked by lean muscle as you grit your teeth. Your wounds sang at the pressure, killing what shreds of your resolve that remained. Your wriggling dimmed, too exhausted to care anymore as you hung your head in defeated shame.
When your tantrum ended, you sensed him drawing near, the wet sound of his slithering enough of a tell. You couldn’t look at him, at his disgustingly smug face. He must’ve felt rather proud of himself, you thought sarcastically, overpowering someone so beneath his own strength.
“You won’t get away with this,” you snarled, watching him position his human body in front of you out of your periphery. “Whole battalions will come after you if you touch me.”
You highly doubted it would change his mind about you, but it would’ve been enough if you made him sweat.
Your heart sank as a deep chuckle left him.
Not the effect you were hoping for.
“Oh, I hope they do. I wouldn’t mind a bit of sport, wiping out your adorable little armies.”
A shudder rippled up your back. The tone of his voice…he wasn’t bluffing.
“As for you…I believe you have two options.” A soft hand found your chin, delicately lifting it to force your gazes to meet. You hadn’t even the energy to fight it, so easily becoming compliant against your will. You whimpered, staring into the reptilian, amber eyes of your captor.
“First…you can be a good girl and let me breed you,” he said with the smoothness of someone making a deal. “Personally, I’m partial to this option, since you seem like a fertile young lady.” His look traveled up and down you again, admiring the sight of you at his mercy.
“Or…you could be my next meal.”
Your breath caught in your throat, sweat pooling in your palms as you paled. Your trembling was uncontrollable now, and you knew he could feel it. You wondered if he could hear your pulse too, with how fast and loud it was. Your own ears were ringing with adrenaline, so hot, so terrifying.
“I suggest you choose wisely, my love. Your life may depend upon it.”
What he offered was no decision though, and you both were well aware. The illusion of being able to decide your fate was all it was, and it made you feel all the more hopeless.
Who was to say he wouldn’t just kill you after he’d used you like a brood mother? Surely he wouldn’t just let you go…and where did that leave you? As his glorified sex doll?
You weren’t sure which fate was worse, honestly.
But your odds of survival were zero if he killed you now. If you agreed to his demands and appeared complacent, perhaps you could wait until he slipped up. Unlikely as it was…it was your best chance at getting out of the situation.
Your stomach dropped as you made up your mind, afraid of what would happen to you in the meantime. Terrible things you didn’t want to think about.
“…I-”
A commotion at the front of the cave cut you off, drawing the attention of you both. The creature twisted his body around, facing the stormy opening with a low growl, his back to you. You craned your neck as well, wondering if you’d already been tracked to the monster’s den.
The bellowing of voices bubbled to you, and your heart leapt with relief. Masculine shouts dispersed into the forest, speaking your name with various honorifics attached. You could faintly hear the sound of clanging armor, of boots squelching in mud.
The palace guards, without a doubt.
Perhaps you weren’t doomed after all.
The great viper slithered forward hesitantly, watching the cave mouth as the shouts grew steadily closer. You repressed a tiny smile, pleased he was about to be knocked down a peg or two. He could use a bit of humbling.
He then looked back at you…with such malicious joy your own expression immediately faltered.
“Darling, did you bring me dinner? Oh, you sweet thing. You shouldn’t have.”
He gave you a possessive squeeze, making you grimace, arms digging into your tender sides. Your ribs pressed into supple organs, a coppery scent drifting into your nose. You bit back a whimper, trying to appear strong, but it was obvious how scared you were. He knew it too, you could see it on his face.
“Well my dear, I believe I shall deal with your trespassing friends first, before moving on to the main event. Hmm?”
As if he actually cared what you had to say.
You didn’t even bother answering him. You turned your head downward, hiding your face, staring at a plain section of his woven scales.
He laughed at your misery, slithering out of the cave with you in tow.
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Mmmm monster Ardyn 🤤
This was one of the first fics I knew I wanted to do when I started my Halloween stuff. Was heavily inspired by some Sephiroth Naga AUs, which are pretty great if you wanna check ‘em out!
I am sad to say this will probably be my last Halloween work, at least for this October. I have Midterms this week and next, so what little time I had to write is now out the window. Kinda sad, I planned on doing so much more, but it’ll have to wait 😩
But regardless, I hope you enjoy! 💕
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