#gamefic

Chapter 1

The morning the party stumbled across the gur hunter, Ana was already exhausted, weakened by blood loss and ever so dizzy. While she wished for nothing more than to return to camp near immediately, her ears perked up as the hunter announced his target. Of course, it would be none other than the vampire stood beside her.

Astarion shifted uncomfortably, distrusting eyes flitting towards his elven companion. Ana was briefly offended at his mistrust, but quickly realized that after being enslaved for so many years, the vampire would cling to his freedom for as long as possible. In turn, with his own self-serving behavior it would be easy to guess what he would do if the roles were reversed. He would not risk himself for another, and would likely turn over a companion without a second thought- for the right price. It was understandable then, that he was worried his leader would do the same.

Fortunately, he was in luck. Ana had no intentions of selling him out to his old master, or whoever had sent the Gur hunter. She was not as ruthless as he was, or at least, not as selfish.

"I would not suggest making deals with a hag, they rarely end the way you expect," she warned, hand slowly making its way towards her weapon as she gave Astarion as gentle of a look as she could muster.

"How kind of you to worry, stranger. But I will find a way to afford her blood price and flush out the spawn."

"And what will you do when you find him, kill him?"

"Not this time. My orders are to capture him and bring him to Baldur's Gate. My people wait for me there."

Ana watched quietly as Astarion tensed, hand ready to reach for his own weapon while he played the part of a quippy noble quite convincingly, until his face dropped at the mention of his master. Rather than left him finish the hunter's rather theatrical warning about the dangers of vampire spawn, she turned to her own.

"Astarion, what do you think?"

A smirk graced his lips, and before the hunter could draw his weapon Ana's scimitar had relieved him of his head.

"Quite poetic don't you think? Vampire hunter decapitated?" she grinned, the ferocity of her gaze seeming to give even the brutal vampire pause.

"Well, I don't know," he started, "I would have preferred him to die a bit slower myself but, whatever our knowledgeable leader suggests."

While she had planned to reach the hag that day and give her the same treatment the hunter had received, Ana could not help but notice the aura of unease radiating from her vampire companion. While he had played it off with his usual playful, almost flirtatious banter, she could tell he needed time to think. Unfortunately, a fight with a hag would be just about the worst time for one of them to be distracted.

"Let's set camp, on the edge of the swamp preferably."

Gale raised his eyebrows in quiet confusion, and Lae'zel looked as though she was going to object in her characteristic rude manner but thought better of it. Ana let out a small sigh of relief as the party begrudgingly agreed to set camp, and was quick to pull Astarion aside as the sun began to sink below the horizon.

"Something you need, or did you just miss me?" he smirked, but his expression seemed vacant, more hollow than usual.

"Hungry?" she offered weakly.

"For you darling, always."

His normally strong gaze felt weak, and he stopped short of reaching her.

"But not tonight."

Ana would never admit it, but she was happy he had not taken her up on her offer, and looked up at him cautiously.

"Look, I'm bad at this but," she took a deep breath, "you know, you know that you are safe with us, right? I saw the look on your face. However good of an actor you may be, I know you thought I would turn you over to him. If it's any consolation, I'll help you kill Cazador, just as I'll help Gale diffuse the bomb in his chest and Wyll escape is deal if he so chooses. However this may end, I will try to keep this party together until everyone is safe, not just from the parasite, but from everything else that has plagued us."

"Safe," he scoffed, "You think that I would believe that I am safe? I am obviously anything but darling, and you would do well to watch what you speak. Should you be overheard, I won't be the only one he will be hunting. He'll use you, you know."

"Ah, as if you don't? I know you were just looking to alleviate your fears when you came to me in the night. You were hungry, sure, but you fed off of me to make sure that you could break his rules. What's another vampire using me for their own gain? At least I can help you rip his head off before you drink from him, we all know I do enjoy a good decapitation as much as the next hunter."

Her words were laced with venom, but her malice was not entirely meant for him. She felt such hatred for a man she had never met, for what he had done to the man before her.

"Why would you help me?" he asked simply.

"Because I hate men like him."

Astarion laughed bitterly, eyes cast down towards the forest floor as the rest of his body grew increasingly tense.

"There are no men like him."

"Sure there are. Plenty really, men who corrupt and enslave for their own good. Even those who torment and torture others throughout the night because they can. I have known many such men, and that is why I plan on ridding the world of another. Vampire or not, he will die the same," Anastasia paused for a moment to level her tone, obviously having caught Astarion's interest with the mention of her own history.

"So yes, you are safe with me. At least, safer than you would be on your own. I won't let him have you."

"Nor I you, I would kill you before he could ever lay hands on you."

His tone sent a shiver down Ana's spine, and although his comment stung at first it gave insight to what horrors the vampire had suffered through that death would be a mercy. For him, it was likely as close to a kind sentiment she could get, as close to a sign of care as he was capable of.

"Be careful going off alone Astarion. I know you have to feed, but it may be better if you do not go hunting at night. Who knows who else may be sent after you, and it's a bit difficult to make sure that pretty head stays attached to your shoulders when I am trying to sleep isn't it?"

"Is that your attempt at offering a meal, or just a word of warning?" he pondered.

"Both."

"Wonderful"

Within seconds she was entangled in his grasp, his breath tickling her throat as she leaned her back against his chest. She could almost laugh as her own breath caught in her throat, perhaps it had been a long time since she had been held in such a way, so delicately. But could her senses really have failed her now of all times in allowing her to become attracted to a being so dangerous.

So I’ve been replaying some of my favorite games recently and the caffeine-fueled binges have made for some pretty ridiculous game-inspired daydreams and one of them involved exploring the locations of Dark Souls with the companions from Dragon Age: Inquisition and I KNOW it would totally change the tone of the game but I just –

Iron Bull seeing the Dragon Aerie for the first time and being all, “aw HELL yeah, Ashy, this is gonna be GOOD,” because he calls PC Ashy, or sometimes “Chosen One,” when he’s feeling particularly snarky,

Dagna bouncing around Andre’s workshop and bringing him various rare materials and Andre being like “you mean there’s more than titanite whaaaaat??” and them making ridiculously badass weapons together,

Vivienne having absolutely zero tolerance for necromancer bullshit and hightailing it to their locations before showering them with death and a few choice words,

Scout Harding greeting PC at the start of every area and PC feeling a little less hopeless bc hey, at least now we know there’s traps here, here, and here, mimics here, and illusory walls there,

Sera having the best time destroying things in Anor Londo bc who needs all these stuffy artifacts anyway? and finding creative ways to cheese enemies off cliffs or around corners and only hesitating when she finds the invisible walkways because fuuuuuuck that noise,

Cassandra becoming increasingly frustrated with the fire keepers and other NPCs bc she is never satisfied with her level of knowledge about the world and its history and getting even more frustrated with Sera’s habit of destruction,

Leliana partnering with Greirat and creating a stronger, safer network of spies to bring valuable goods back to Firelink, secretly sharing high fives and relishing each others’ tales of close encounters,

Varric finally being told to stay at Firelink because PC has had it up to HERE with his constant stops to write things down “for my next book,” but still being invited to places like Blighttown and The Gutter bc “we’re gonna need Bianca for this,”

Cole always having the most interesting things to say during literally every boss encounter, sometimes getting everyone killed (faster) bc it’s hard to fight when your mind is being blown and your old fade-loving bros are trying to connect with the giant demon in front of them rather than kill it,

Josephine doing her best to tidy up Firelink and make it more “homey” for everyone while also screening every newcomer the adventurers send her way, persuading them to lower the prices on their goods and immediately convincing PC to throw Patches out on his ass bc she KNOWS,

Solas becoming increasingly obsessed with the concept of soul collection and the uses of humanity, until it is literally all he will talk about, most of the time under his breath to himself bc everyone has started giving him a rather wide berth and he still hasn’t figured it out,

Morrigan entertaining herself by “trying out” all of Firelink’s thrones, attempting to whip the crestfallen warriors back into shape, and keeping a running tally of how many times she discovers a hidden lever or secret passageway before anyone else does,

Blackwall making it his sole duty to ensure the Grey Wardens are considered superior to all of these “covenants,” even though he secretly takes note of all of their ways “for research,” and kind of wants to join all of them at once,

Dorian leaving the main party pretty early on after meeting Laurentius, becoming a summonable NPC for any boss fight where the fire magic he perfects with his new bestie can be put to good use,

Cullen keeping a collection of the armor sets PC finds and brings back from various excursions, decorating the halls of Firelink with makeshift mannequins and keeping a detailed record of their strengths and weaknesses “just in case you ever need them,” and spluttering whenever he’s caught trying them on,

PC slamming down fiery banners every time the group encounters something interesting in the world, even though they are totally aware they will never be permanent, just because PC still giggles every time they picture their companions “marking territory” in Thedas…

The desperate hunger in his eyes was obvious as he stumbled backwards away from her recently awoken form, but Ana could not find the energy to be distraught at his betrayal. After everything else, she figured she should have seen it coming. After all, it wasn't as though Lae'zel had not already made her loyalties clear. This however, was different. Astarion was, of course, a slave to sanguine hunger above all else; however, his eyes screamed not just with hunger, but with both a deeper need and something else: fear. Not that he would ever admit to it, and if confronted she was sure he would just as quickly have a knife to her throat, again.

His inhuman nature had been obvious, and his smile was always shallow enough to hide his now visible canines. Along with his avoidance of running water that she had previously chalked up to discomfort, Ana was surprised she had not recognized the signs sooner. After all, he was not the first vampire she had met, although he was the nicest to look at.

Her eyes took in his display of submission, and noticed then the tension in his shoulders, the crease of his brow, the shallowness of his breathing. The sounds she had heard earlier were not mere tossing or discomfort, he had just awoken from a nightmare. Fortunately for Ana, his stirring had awoken her as well. Otherwise, she may have become his meal, although she still might. Her eyes searched his face for a response or explanation, but found only a thinly veiled fabrication of submission.

Beyond that though, was the fear still etched on his suddenly open expressions. For once it seemed that he may be quick to tell the truth, but she already knew it. He was not just hungry, he was afraid. For whatever reason, he needed to feed for reasons beyond hunger. Validation perhaps? The signs were all there, but without knowing much more

"First Gale is a living bomb, and now you cannot even find the decency to not feed on your friends, or at least, companions? Could you not sulk off to the woods and find less important prey?"

The betrayal in her voice was thick, but she could only hope he would not catch on to her deception as she waited eagerly for his explanation.

"I am just too slow, too hungry to catch anything," he mourned, lowering his chin as though ashamed of his actions. Ana knew better than to fall for his act, however convincing it may have seemed. He was, after all, quite the manipulator when it came to luring victims back to his master before the mindflayers liberated him.

"But if I just had a little blood, if I was fed I could think clearer, fight better. Please."

Ana watched him closely before letting out a sigh, uncertain if she should let on her intuition or keep silent. If she could remain seemingly oblivious, the vampire may let more slip about what got him so riled up in the first place, preferably without the use of the wretched parasite.

Focusing her energy into her hand, Ana slowly rose to her feet. Astarion's hand flexed and reached for his blade, but she was faster. With an outstretched hand, the elf placed her hand on his temple and delved into his mind. Memories flashed before her eyes, but she focused in on the most prevalent ones, the memories that were brought to the forefront of his mind during their conversation. From his perspective, she watched him feed. However, it was not from a human, not even from the neck of some other humanoid creature. Instead, she watched as he sunk his fangs into the twisted body of a rat, the only thing his master allowed him to eat. It was then that she understood.

He did not just need blood to satiate his hunger, he needed it because in a way, it would signify some semblance of freedom from Cazador. Perhaps in doing this, the vampire could prove to himself that he was no longer trapped under his master's command, that he could disobey. He was free to do what he wanted after all, at least for now.

"Alright, take what you need."

Astarion's face fell at first, and it would seem that he had not even listened to her response as his usual scowl began to cover up the slight show of vulnerability. It was only when Anastasia lowered herself onto the blankets and stared him down that he seemed to comprehend her words.

"Really? I-," he stammered, attempting to regain his composure as Ana purposefully pulled down her collar.

"Oh, not a drop more. I swear, you won't regret trusting me."

She could almost laugh, but did not want to frighten the man off. She knew he was lying and yet, she understood his need. Perhaps a bit distant from the hunger, but the need to prove his freedom, to be out of the pervasive grasp of his master was familiar to her. He loomed over her, and for a moment her eyes caught his own, the ferocity in her eyes stopping him in his tracks.

She knew that doing this would only paint a larger target on her back, especially from the vampire lord that had such a strong hold over the elf, even now. At the same time though, she reveled in the ferocity in Astarion's eyes, and hers mirrored it. Together, they were ripping apart the ties that Cazador had so meticulously woven, and for once she was not worried. After all, she did not feel as though the fate at the hands of a vampire could be much worse than the fate of becoming a mind flayer. At the very least, Cazador would be in for a surprise when she transformed during her capture if he were to find them.

Her mind wandered as the vampire sunk to his knees beside her, wondering if Cazador would be able to regain control of his pawn in spite of the tadpole, or if he would be able to overtake hers while the tadpole still took refuge in it. The tension was almost tangible, and she fought a hiss when his fangs finally found their mark, masking it with a sharp intake of breath.

Ana could feel him slowly lose control as her blood flowed from her neck, his pace quickened alongside his breathing before she finally reached up to rest a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to break him from his trance.

For a moment she began to wonder if he would come to his senses, or if this was his plan all along. Before she could protest, he tore himself away from her neck and stumbled to his feet, apologizing and wiping the blood from his face as he went. His eyes gleamed with excitement, and he seemed stronger, more confident than before. Most importantly, the fear that had previously etched itself onto his perfect features had been replaced by an emotion Ana had never seen on him before. Astarion was happy, and that was enough to put Ana's mind to rest for the time being even as the dizziness began to overtake her senses.

Would it be possible to make a gamefic that has fighting mechanics? I mean, there are fics out there that simulate turned-based combat through dice and other such RNG simulations. Why wouldn't it work for a PvP or PvE scenario with the other trappings of a fighting game? Features such as character selection, combos, combo-breaking, command grabs, etc... Though, I haven't really gotten into fighting games that much, lol.

Still, there shouldn't be as many variables in a one-on-one fighting game as there would be in, say, an open-world Souls-game. So, it should be possible to achieve.

La Fiesta Tec - Saga Gunnar Roque:

Ir para a faculdade é um passo muito importante mesmo que você trabalhe com artes. Gunnar é um cara que se expressa através da música e com isso, sempre conquistou muitas mulheres. Seu estilo rockeiro dá uma aparência de badboy que não condiz com o cara tranquilo que ele realmente é. Ao chegar em La Fiesta Tec, conheceu duas meninas apaixonadas por música tanto quanto ele, então foram os três morar juntos pra fundar o Rooftop mais badalado da LFT. Os Isótopos de Marte são um verdadeiro estouro. Nosso protagonista na guitarra parece até outra pessoa, se entregando totalmente ao som que faz. Ele cursa Literatura e pretende se tornar uma referência poderosa do Rock em Estranhópolis. Enquanto isso, também aproveita pra namorar bastante, curtindo meninas com o gosto igual ou bem parecido com o dele. Gunnar aproveita hoje uma beleza que veio com dificuldade, já que ele foi um menino gordinho até os 14 anos. A relação com os pais era pacífica, mas infelizmente, por eles, Gunnar poderia pesar 200kg que continuariam oferecendo comida. Por conta disso, a partir dos 15 anos, focou em si e sua música. Só fazia malhar e tocar sua guitarra. Com 18 começou a chamar atenção de algumas meninas, perdeu o BV, a virgindade e desde então não parou mais. Em LFT, no entanto, ele também precisa estudar. Suas parceiras de casa são Jasmin e Zoe, que apesar de um pouco mais novas, arrebentam nos instrumentos e proporcionam um show impecável apresentando a primeira na bateria e a segunda no baixo. Jasmin é uma bi curiosa que não sabe o que veio fazer numa faculdade. Filha de pais ausentes que também trabalhavam com música, ela é literalmente uma gostosa com cabeça de vento. Aceitou morar com a banda pois queria seduzir Gunnar, mas depois de ver que ele não sabe cozinhar e não curte namorar, desistiu da ideia de estragar a amizade porque afinal de contas eles moram juntos. Mas aparentemente, não deu muito tempo e ela entrou no mesmo esquema dele, pegando vários caras, ou melhor, pessoas. Zoe por sua vez é a general de dentro de casa e sempre foi. Cursa História e realmente quer ser uma boa capitã. Tinha uma linda relação com um tio falecido que era militar, mas infelizmente, um dia ele não voltou pra casa. Ela foi criada pelos avós e seu tio era seu único amigo durante a infância. Na adolescência conheceu Jasmin e se tornaram inseparáveis. Por isso, influenciou a amiga a também se formar em História, já que Jasmin passou 3 semestres indecisa. Zoe é uma amiga leal, fiel e compromissada, apesar de poder ser controladora e teimosa. Sugeriu a ideia de morarem juntos pra manter a banda unida e fazia a divulgação do rooftop praticamente sozinha, de tantos colegas que tinha. Jasmin também tinha vários contatos, mas certas pessoas não poderiam estar juntas no mesmo ambiente por conta de: são flertes que não sabem um do outro. Apesar de amar ser popular, Zoe não curtia atenção dos homens por ela ser uma rockstar. Sempre soube que era lésbica, mas achou que nunca iria se identificar com nenhuma garota tão cedo a ponto de namorar, até porque nunca se sentiu atraída por Jasmin e considerava a amiga a mulher mais linda que já tinha visto. Até entrar em LFT e tentar a primeira vez a entrada pro grêmio Tri-Fruhm. Foi então que viu DJ Rima. Ela nunca tinha tido medo de nada até esse momento. Uma mulher linda, popular, rapper e engajada na comunidade negra, representando por ser a única não-branca até então no grêmio feminino mais famoso da universidade. Assim que trocaram a primeira ideia, ela sentiu que era recíproco. Chamou DJ pra um show dos Isótopos de Marte e ela aceitou. Chegando lá, DJ estava hipnotizada pela baixista e assim que o show terminou, as duas conversaram por um longo tempo sobre música até chegar no assunto de sexualidade. DJ fez uma piada sobre nunca ter precisado de homens e Zoe concordou sorrindo boba, tanto pela piada quanto pela tranquilidade de estar se derretendo por alguém possível. Em algum momento fofo como esse, DJ não se aguentou e beijou Zoe pela primeira vez. Em uma semana, Zoe pediu DJ em namoro. Elas são o casal mais fofo e

Tudo está bem quando termina bem...

9 de Souza durante sua vida se mostrou um ótimo pai. Tanto pras filhas de Glabe quanto pros seus filhos com Jeanie. A família Silva é a mais antiga na cidade hoje, muito respeitada e admirada. O primeiro filho deles acabou por se chamar João e hoje está adolescente, namorando a sobrinha da senhora Olívia Espectro, também muito antiga e famosa na cidade. Vamos acompanhá-lo em La Fiesta Tec pra saber como vai seu romance com Ofélia. Os Silva tiveram também uma filha chamada Jill. Por acaso, ela não seria a última criança da família. Jeanie engravidou mais uma vez de 9 e teve outro menino extraterrestre como João. Jeanie com o tempo se tornou uma mulher insaciável sexualmente. Com a diferença de idade, infelizmente, nem sempre 9 de Souza supria tudo que ela precisava na cama. Por conta disso, ela começou a trair 9 com Loki Bicudo durante seus casamentos mais ou menos. Jeanie fazia tudo em segredo, pois amava muito 9 de Souza, tanto que se cuidava, usava camisinha e não teve nenhuma dúvida que seu filho era dele. Loki e 9 tinham uma péssima relação por conta da popularidade dos dois como os homens mais interessantes e populares da cidade. Um pelas polêmicas e sua origem como patriarca de Estranhópolis, o outro pela beleza e dominação social que tinha com as mulheres da cidade. Também por culpa da idade avançada, 9 de Souza nunca percebeu as traições de sua amada. Nem as sexuais e nem as imorais. Lola, uma das filhas ETs de Glabe iria se casar. Ele não tinha notícias das meninas desde que foram pra faculdade e agora ele e sua família foram chamados pro casamento de Lola. Ele se sentia orgulhoso e feliz por saber que Lola ainda o considerava seu pai. Foram ao casamento e foi bem divertido. Ele se deparou com uma bebê alienígena linda, filha de Lola e mais um menino, Dino. Numa conversa, ela explicou como tudo aconteceu de forma resumida, pediu desculpas por não ter entrado em contato antes enquanto morava com as Singelas, mas agora eles voltariam a ter uma relação próxima. Ela explicou como Bjork não era filha biológica dela, mas sim de Chloe e ele ficou triste ao lembrar dela. 9 de Souza criou as duas de forma igual, mas Chloe sempre foi mais rebelde e teve muitas interpretações erradas de tudo que ocorreu com Glabe. Ela era a única que importava pra Chloe e 9 nunca conseguiu conquistá-la apesar de estar presente. Chloe guardava muito ressentimento dos pais, tanto que não é amiga de nenhum irmão de Jeanie e nem da própria, assim como detesta 9 de Souza e faz de tudo pra atacá-lo. Hoje ela desfila pela cidade com seus inimigos pessoais e a promiscuidade dela nunca foi algo admirável também. Ao mesmo tempo que refletia sobre isso, percebia como Lola estava falando e se importando com ele, então ficou em paz, feliz por ter uma filha tão crescida e com uma vida estabilizada. Contou também pra Lola nessa conversa que teria mais um menino com Jeanie. Os dois estavam muito felizes. No fim da festa, Lola entrega um presente misterioso para seu pai. Ele abre e é uma Lâmpada Mágica e Lola havia dito que tinham 2 desejos restantes pra ele usar e viver mais. Feliz, 9 voltou pra casa com a lâmpada e Jeanie se interessou. Ele explicou que o gênio só poderia ser invocado quando ele tivesse feliz e realizado, então guardou seu presente. Com o decorrer dos dias, Jeanie percebeu que iria envelhecer e ficou com muito medo. Decidiu então por roubar um dos desejos da lâmpada. Num dia feliz, sozinha em casa, ela se rejuvenesceu mais ainda. Depois do desejo realizado, ela se sentia tão bem, realmente parecia haver voltado no tempo. Mas ainda era mais velha que Loki, por poucos anos. Ela sabia que se usasse mais um desejo, não poderia salvar seu amado marido da Dona Morte, então deixou pra lá. No entanto, um dia na cama com Loki, ele comentou como seria lindo envelhecer ao lado dela e que era inevitável a morte próxima de 9. Jeanie então, imaginando um segundo casamento, agora com Loki, fez o último pedido e se tornou ainda mais jovem, agora é da mesma idade que seu amado. Quando perguntada sobre o paradeiro da lâmpada por 9 de Souza, ela