#lammy writes

Too Fast. Too Soon.

Summary: Our new challenger is given the chance to learn Bones, and is able to speak with the previous Champion. Despite their differences, it's gonna take their cooperation to escape this game of life and death, will they survive?

Memory Transcription Subject: Ginsha, Unwilling Challenger Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20, 2136

“Perhaps you can understand Bones.”

Suddenly, one of the cards in my hand floats up in front of me, and I notice that instead of having blood droplets, its price is displayed as bone icons.

“The resourceful opossum costs two bones.”

Looking at his side of the board, I see he placed down a Bat again, and it seems luck is on my side this time once again as I place a squirrel, and then sacrifice it to place a Bullfrog in front of it. As I sacrifice the squirrel, I notice a small token appears to my left.

“From the death of your creature you’ve gained a Bone.” “You will not lose this until it is spent… or the battle ends.”

I press the bell to end my turn, and my Bullfrog easily defeats Leshy’s Bat; he then places an Elk Fawn to oppose my frog, which deals it one damage before it moves away to another tile. Reaching to my deck, I draw another card and notice that it’s the same card of a Farsul, but this time I notice something new. Instead of its face imitating one of the human snarls, instead it appeared with a frightened expression, but stranger than that the image was moving, seeming as if it were exhausted. What caught my interest next was the name on the card, it no longer said “Yaina” in that space, instead new words kept appearing on the card, as if it were speaking.

“If.. I’m trapped in one of Leshy’s cards..” “Does that mean that.. All of those animals I sacrificed…”

Its eyes then look towards me, only for it to appear to scream, and although no sound could be heard, the terror in their expression was louder than even the most fear-driven shriek.

“A-Arxur! Get- get away from me!”

In an attempt to not draw attention from Leshy, I draw a squirrel and–while I sacrifice it in order to place my Stoat to get rid of Leshy’s Elk–I speak lowly to try and calm down the Farsul.

“Calm yourself, I’m just about as trapped in this game as you are.”

My words seem to reach them, as they appear to stop panicking, yet still seem very distressed. I decided to split my focus between the game and talking with the Farsul.

“I just want to go home…” “Being stuck in this cabin isn’t the best, I’ll agree with you there. I just came out here on some kind of rescue mission.” “..Rescue? Is that your idea of a sick joke?” “Wasn’t my idea, wasn’t even my Chief Hunter’s idea, the humans got him to do this.” “The humans.. They… they did what?”

Before I could respond, the encounter had ended and the cards in my hand were whisked away by whatever kind of sorcery Leshy seems to have. The next space on the map was another card choice, and just like the last one, two cards were placed in front of me.

“The meek Sparrow. An inexpensive, if feeble, flying creature.” “The thieving Raccoon! It gathers the bones of my creatures for you.”

I recognize the symbol on the Sparrow card, it would be able to attack over most cards, such a power would be incredibly useful moving forward. Taking that card in hand, the map rolls out, and I move to the next space, after which Leshy places down some strange, carved stones on the table, with card-sized tiles on them. Along with the stones, there was the faint scent of blood in the air surrounding them.

“You stumbled into some strange stones in the mist.” “You were compelled to choose a worthy sacrifice. One that will be lost forever…”

Suddenly, all of my cards are laid out between me, with the Farsul looking around before seemingly recognizing this area. Before their face changes to one of fear

“Please.. Not this place…”

I look down at them, tilting my head slightly. They look up at me, before speaking again.

“This… ritual, it puts the Sigil from one card onto another.”

With their advice in mind, I look over my cards and identify a good upgrade. I lay my Adder onto the bloodied stone, and place my Stoat on the other. The Adder card disappeared, and on the Stoat was now a blue patch with the same skull-and-crossbones the Adder had on it. Looking at the next space on the map, it seemed similar to the skull spaces, albeit slightly different. When the tiles appeared, Leshy placed some form of Totem on his side of the table.

“Behold my totem. It inscribes my Canines with the Airborne sigil.”

On his side was a Coyote, and just like he said it had the same sigil as the flying creatures, it was even floating slightly like they did as well. Before I could move, I noticed a new row of tiles illuminated on his side, these having arrows pointing towards my direction.

“You may now see my moves ahead of time.”

Huh, helpful. Looking at his next move, it seems he plans to also play a Bat card on an empty space. In my hand was the Stoat, Bullfrog, and Yaina. I place my Bullfrog in the Coyote’s path and ring the bell before turning my attention to Yaina.

“Leshy keeps calling you ‘the champion’, what’s that about?” “…” “I.. I found the cabin after I crashed, and played Leshy’s game.” “But… despite succeeding, and defeating it.. I find myself back here.” “So… is there no way to get out of this?” “I don’t know…” “Whether you like it or not, if we want out then we’re going to have to work together.” “…How can I trust you? I trusted that winning this sick game would let me out.” “Neither of us are in a position to lie to each other, not with… whatever sorcery Leshy has.” “…”

Their expression seemed contemplative, and once again before our conversation could continue, my Bullfrog and deadly Stoat had won the battle, resulting in the map being rolled out once more. Up ahead was another card choice, where I got a Cat, which Leshy says won’t die when sacrificed, which sounds very useful. The path ahead splits into two, the right path leading to another one of those sacrificial altars, the other leading to some kind of fire. Deciding that there’s no use in transferring another Sigil, I move to the fire. What appeared before me was a group of humans in rags and skins wielding primitive weaponry.

“You came across a small group of survivors.” “Faces shrunken from starvation, they huddled around a campfire.” “They looked upon your group of creatures and beckoned.” “ ‘Come, warm one of your creatures by the fire.’ One said…” “ ‘Warm it by the fire. That will enhance its power.’ Said another.” “You noticed one of the survivors wiping drool from their mouth.”

Well, these humans definitely can’t be trusted. But the prospect of making one of my cards stronger is definitely an enticing one. Looking over my cards, I once again see Yaina appearing terrified, their eyes squeezed shut.

“Please… No…”

Looking closer, I can’t help but notice that the Sigil on their card looks unfamiliar. Seemingly noticing my confusion, Leshy gestures behind me to my left, where a large book sits.

“Behold. The Rule Book.”

Looking inside of it, I flipped through until I came across that sigil, taking note of how several pages seem ruined. After a moment, I find the same sigil, Double Strike, “A card bearing this Sigil will strike an opposing space an extra time when attacking.” With such a sigil… I could make Yaina into a much more powerful card. Putting the book back, I whisper an apology to them as I place them near the fire.

“Ngh…” “The fire warmed the Champion, enhancing their power.” “One of the survivors reached towards them.”

My breathing hitched, did I make the wrong choice?

“Another gnashed their teeth.”

Please don’t let this happen.

“Without a word, you pulled the Champion away from the fire and left.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, before trying to rid that defective fear from myself that the earlier thoughts had. Up next was another battle, and Leshy’s side had an intimidating looking beast, almost reminiscent of a Zurulian, albeit much more ferocious, and its stats were a bit intimidating as well. However, I got lucky in my first draw, so I placed my Stoat to block it and the Cat safely in an empty space. My Stoat takes out the Grizzly, although another one I hadn’t noticed before moves into position and takes out my Cat. Looking over the cards in my hand, I formulate a plan. Taking the bottled squirrel card, I smash it against the leg of the table and place down the squirrel before sacrificing it and placing Yaina down and then hit the bell. If I’m right, then the total damage should be en—

{ERR: Minor Data Corruption – Recovering Data. . .}

“Too fast. Too soon.”

What… just happened? Where did all of these Grizzlies come from?

“No, please no…”

Leshy’s turn comes and it’s not even close, whatever happened just rigged him to win, and I wince as I witness Yaina’s card disappear.

“You’ve lost.”

The straightforwardness of his words send a chill through my body. What’s going to happen to me now? If winning gets you recycled into just another card, what happens to losers?

“Using this as a learning opportunity may be the only way to mitigate my disappointment…” “Get up from the table.”

My body seems to move on its own, pushing away from the table and standing up.

“Fetch me the Candlestick from atop the barrel besides the door.”

As I walk over to the door, I can feel my senses returning. There wasn’t even a barrel there when I first got here. Reaching the door, I reach over and grab the candlestick.

“Bring it here.”

I walk back over to the table, setting the candle down on Leshy’s side before going and taking my seat again.

“Let me explain something to you.”

He blows out one of the candles, the heat at the table dropping by a minimal amount.

“That was one of two mistakes you can make here.” “If you make another, I must sacrifice you.”

My heart skips a beat at those words, what in the Prophet's name could he mean by that?

“Now, where were we…”

Let The Games Begin

Summary: After coming to the end of the trail, our Junior Hunter inspects the ominous cabin, unaware of what truly lies within.

Memory Transcription Subject: Ginsha, Junior Hunter Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20, 2136

Opening the door to the cabin reveals… nothing? I cautiously step inside, looking around to find any possible clues. The only things I saw of note were empty shelves, a wide-open safe, a mysterious old clock against the left wall near the back, and a long table against the wall opposite the door, with a chair on the left and a strange darkness over the right side. This sight wouldn’t be anything of note on its own, but along with the Farsul’s scent being stronger in the cabin, there was also the scent of Farsul blood near the left side of the table. Despite that, there’s no signs of any blood, leaving me to wonder what exactly happened here.

As I try to find anything in this… empty, desolate cabin, I mentally go through possible scenarios, seeking an answer for this unusual scenario I find myself in.

Could it be that a human found them first and did something to them? Unlikely, there’s no stains, and besides there’s no trace of human scent. So what you’re saying is that Prophet knows what happened here.

After thoroughly searching the entire cabin, I bring myself over to the chair at the table and sit down, hanging my head and closing my eyes to try and think of something, anything that will find this Farsul. Suddenly, among the other smells in the cabin, there’s a faintly lush smell, along with the scent of smoke. Looking up, I immediately notice the once empty shelves now carry an odd variety of items, the interior now being illuminated by small candles and lanterns, with the exception of the space across from my side of the table. Before I even manage to get up from my chair, a pair of eyes the color of Venlil blood pierce through the darkness, the gaze seeming to root me to my seat as this mysterious figure stares at me. The silence hung heavy in the air, and after [several seconds], it finally spoke.

“Another challenger.. It has been some time.”

My confusion only rises, as the only thing to be heard was a deep rumbling sound, and yet I could still feel the words being directed at me.

“Perhaps you have forgotten how the game is played. Allow me to remind you.”

With this new wave of silence, I notice that now there’s a lot on the table; there’s some kind of ancient scale and an unusual round device to my left, and to my right there were what looked to be two stacks of small sheets with strange markings, and one stack having the silhouette of a small creature on it.

“Draw your cards.”

I reach over to what I now know as cards, and somehow know how to draw them, taking one from the stack on the right and three from the other on the left. Before I could take a look at them, the being spoke once again.

“Play the Squirrel card”

Looking down at the cards in my grip, my translator deciphers the text on the cards in my claws, but before I can even look for this squirrel, one of the images on them catches my attention. Among what I can only assume to be creatures from Earth is the unmistakable image of a Farsul, seemingly trying to replicate one of those human smiles. Seemingly with a tooth missing. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I look back over my cards and find the squirrel, looking up at the table and finding eight card-shaped tiles with paw prints on them. Taking the squirrel card, I place it down on the tile on the far right.

“I see you have taken an interest in the previous challenger, a champion that one” “Play that card next.” “The card costs one blood, sacrifices must be made.”

I look back down at the card again, taking note of the name, Yaina, before looking at the knife to the left of the tiles next to the scale. Does it want me to stab the squirrel? I take the knife in my hand and look down at the card…

M̸e̶m̷o̶r̵y̵ ̴I̷n̸s̸c̷r̸y̷p̷t̵i̸o̴n̶ ̴S̷u̴b̶j̵e̵c̴t̶:̶ ̶Y̵͖̼̏͂a̷̝͇̿í̵̝̥n̸̖̾̽a̵͍̙̓͛,̴ ̷F̸a̴r̴s̶u̸l̶ ̶C̷h̸a̷m̸p̸i̶o̶n̴ D̵a̷t̴e̶ ̸[̶S̸t̵a̴n̷d̸a̴r̶d̴i̴z̶e̴d̶ ̴H̶u̸m̵a̴n̵ ̸T̶i̵m̶e̷]̸:̷ ̷O̴c̷t̵o̷b̸e̸r̷ ̶2̸0̷,̷ ̷2̴1̴3̴6̷

It’s so very dark.. Where am I? It’s nearly impossible to see, and my body almost feels suspended. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoes in my mind as I hear a deep rumbling noise.

“The champion stands unopposed.” “The number on the bottom left is their attack power: 1.”

Suddenly, memories start to flood in as I remember what happened last. Leshy, the cabin, its strange and horrific game. The last thing I remember is… I won. I’m supposed to be a winner, but I’m somehow still confined to this accursed place. How long have I even been here? Judging by Leshy’s words, I’ve been here long enough that now he has a new victim to–

{ERR: Transcryption Failure – Extreme Physical Trauma}

Memory Transcription Subject: Ginsha, Unwilling Challenger Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20, 2136

As I place down my Bullfrog card in order to block Leshy’s Bat, I can’t help but think back to that card with the Farsul, I swear I heard a pained shriek when I sacrificed it. As I reach over to ring the bell, a realization strikes me; Leshy, how do I know that name? I don’t recall it ever giving me a name, and yet somehow I just knew it. I’m suddenly drawn from my thoughts from the rumbling of Leshy talking.

“You’ve won this match.” “They won’t all be so easy.”

“Let me recall your story…” “Oh yes…” “Your team had left you behind whilst you attempted to track down a certain individual.”

Leshy rolls out a paper map onto the table, a small model of the crashed ship on my end of the map. He reaches over and places down a small figure in front of me, a small figure of an Arxur, almost identical in appearance to me. How in the Prophet's name does he know all of this?

Cautiously, I reached towards the model and moved it forward to the next spot, which appears to have a pair of cards on it. Right after I did that, he rolled the map up, followed by placing two cards with their faces down in front of me.

“Two denizens of the forest approached you tentatively…” “First, the young Wolf Cub. It grows into a wolf after a single turn.” “Second, the caustic adder. Damage from its venomous bite is always lethal.”

The Wolf Cub seems to be a decent card, given how the Wolf costs two sacrifices to place down, although the cub would be vulnerable to attack until it grows up. On the other claw, this Adder is a confusing sight, such a dangerous and deadly creature, yet its eyes tell me that it’s prey. I’d heard whispers of some Federation nurse or other dying to some kind of similar bite, but I would’ve expected a much more fearsome beast.

“Only one may join your paltry deck.”

Weighing my options, I decide that the Adder seems to be a better choice. Despite its fragile nature with only one health, and only having one attack power, its ability to seemingly fell any creature in its path will come in handy.

“Another creature joins your caravan.” “Some creatures of the forest seem willing to follow you.”

With the map once again rolled out, I move my piece forward onto the next space, the image of some kind of satchel. Rolling up the map, Leshy places a similar large bag on the table next to him before taking three items out.

“You came across an abandoned sack…” “First. You found a squirrel in a bottle. Break in case of emergencies.” “A gust from this may lift your creatures in the air… if only for a turn.” “Another useful implement. I’ll allow you to tip the scales with it.”

What laid on the table in front of me was–exactly as described–a squirrel card in a bottle, what I can only assume to be some kind of primitive fan, and an old, visibly weathered pair of pliers with a faint but noticeable scent of Farsul blood. I don’t quite understand what he means by “tip the scales”, although I’m sure I’ll learn eventually. Something about this entire scenario feels extremely off, but I have to figure out if Leshy knows anything about the missing Exterminator.

The next space on the map appears to be that of a human skull, and when Leshy rolls up the map again, the four tiles from the previous battle are present again.

“You were ambushed while crossing some rough terrain.”

On his side were a couple of boulder cards, along with a tree stump on my end. Behind his usual tiles, were four extra tiles with arrows on them.

“You may now see my moves ahead of time.”

Like last time, I drew cards into my hand, but this time I noticed a difference on one of them. One of the cards, an Opossum, instead of drops of blood on the top for its cost, it has bones instead.

“Perhaps it is time…” “Perhaps you can understand Bones.”

The New Cycle

Memory Transcription Subject: Ginsha, Junior Hunter Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20, 2136

It had only been three days since we intervened and prevented humans from being destroyed by the Federation. Chief Hunter Isif seemed to take a liking to these primates, and I’m inclined to agree with him, not that I’d admit it out loud. He had sent several groups down to the planet to aid them in recovering people from the ruins of what used to be grand cities, now reduced to piles of rubble as far as anyone could see. While the humans were strong, we were stronger on average, not to mention we could sniff out people buried under the rubble.

Eventually, things settled down and we were recalled to camps while the humans figured out what else we could do to help out, and that brings us to where I am today: on a ship with my group, headed out to some terran wilderness in order to find survivors from crashed Extermination Fleet ships or escape pods.

With a resounding thud, our ship lands as close to the crashed craft as it can, opening up for us all to file out. There’s a few humans mixed in, and they give us a reminder that we’re to capture these Exterminators alive if possible, to the irritation of several of my other group members. The humans still confuse me, after all that was done to them, they don’t seem any closer to lashing out in revenge.

We made our way over to the ship where the humans divided our group into smaller ‘search parties’ as they called it, splitting us up in order to cover more ground. Given how long the ship had been here, we have no way of knowing how far they could have gone from the site. Not too long after we left the crash site, I picked up a distinct scent on the air, an old scent but after having a moment to take it in, I recognized the scent as Farsul. That must be the Exterminator! However, as I turn my attention to my group, I notice that they’d left me behind.

What should I do? If I try to catch up, I might lose the scent, but if I follow the scent then there’s no telling what kind of trouble I’ll be in for deserting. But I could be rewarded instead for being the only one to find where this Farsul went… I’ve always had a stronger nose than most.

With my decision made, I follow the scent slowly, being sure to not lose it amid the countless smells in this terran forest. I nearly lose my direction as a sudden noise snaps me out of my concentration, and upon investigation it’s some kind of small, black feathered terran bird watching me from the trees. After setting my focus back on finding this Farsul, I manage to find their scent again and begin to follow it through the forest. Following this scent trail seems to take [hours], but despite that the planet’s star doesn’t seem to have moved an inch. Eventually, the trail leads me to… a cabin? Why would any human live so far from any towns? Something here feels off… but I can’t quite place my claws on it; the scent seems stronger by the cabin, almost too fresh for a three-day-old scent trail. Having no other lead, I cautiously approach the door.

Flowers Verity isn’t sure how to thank Tony Stark when he personally hires her for Stark Industries. The SI job is the very definition of cushy or at least she thinks so. Justice congratulates her in her usual manner, a canvas shows up at her door delivered by dubious means. Verity wonders if she can use flowers instead of words. She sends him dwarf sunflowers  a week later. A week after the sunflowers Tony stops by her lab to ask why she hasn’t been home since she got the job. She frowns as he offers her an apartment in Stark Tower but doesn’t give an answer. He seems to understand she has a dislike of talking to people, she wonders why he stays and watches her work for a while longer. Verity wonders if she’ll ever say another word to Tony Stark. She calls her florist after he leaves and asks for sycamore  and wild daises . Florian assures her it will be this day delivery. She sends Tony corn straw  a week later and proceeds to move into a Stark apartment. She sends Agrimony  after the move is finished, it only seems proper. For a moment Verity wonders if Tony Stark knows flower language or if Florian is including helpful cards again. She puts her money on Florian being helpful, she wonders if it’s proper to send her florist flowers. She brings the deep pink roses  to Florian herself. He sighs at her shaking his head in a manner that indicates she’s being ridiculous again. Florian tells her Justice has moved again but she’s still in Hell’s Kitchen. She wonders why she’s moved again it’s only February and this is the third apartment this year. She tells Florian to send her sister Zinnia Virginia Potts walks in her lab after she’s worked for SI a little more than a month. She asks the reasoning behind the flowers. Verity wishes for Milkwort  but assures herself she can manage one conversation with Virginia Potts. She assures Virginia Potts, who says she can call her Pepper, that she has no intention of seducing Tony. Verity assures her she would have sent very different flowers if that was the case. Verity Lynch has a seduction bouquet and is not afraid to advertise this knowledge. When Pepper asks what the contents are Verity smiles. Pear, zephyr, cattleya, and lavender roses  . She decides she rather likes Pepper Potts then and there. The next time Tony walks into her lab she actually says hello. Their acquaintance-ship becomes a real friendship. Verity and Tony both find out they get a long like peas in a pod. He for whatever reason appreciates her bad puns. It helps she thinks that he doesn’t mind that she tries to genetically engineer mythological creatures in her spare time. She sends him blue periwinkles  the next morning. For a very long time Verity has no need to send anyone flowers. Then Tony gets kidnapped. She can’t remember her words and calls Florian. She never says a word and she finds out that he sent Pepper Potts Aloe  the next day. Florian always knows just what to do when she can’t find her words. Part of her wonders if that’s why he’s a florist. After Tony’s coming out as Iron Man she knows she has to come clean. She sends basil  to Stane’s grave, he did after all try to kill her best friend it only seems appropriate.  She asks Florian for a Venus fly trap  and waits for Tony to come to New York. Surprisingly it doesn’t take him more than a week. She meets him in the lobby and sets down the plant beside him. He’ll come for the story soon enough. He’s in her lab the next day. She confesses in a whirlwind of tears and meaningless pranks. It’s silly but it’s the only way she has to prove that what she says is true. Time halts for Verity Lynch and any plus one she desires. Tony strangely enough doesn’t even mind. He laughs it off and asks if this is why she always finishes projects on time. She admits to the light hearted jab happily, it is good to have Tony back. She sends him more dwarf sunflowers because flowers are the best way to thank someone. She learns that what is keeping Tony alive is also killing him before he fixes it. She hugs him tight as she can. The arc reactor leaves a gnarly imprint between her breasts for weeks. She considers getting it tattooed there but instead sends him belladonna . She cares enough about him to keep his secrets. That’s what is important she thinks as she avoids Pepper Potts who deserves nothing but Jusitcia  . Tony cheats death again by apparently re-discovering an element or so he tells her. Verity is glad she won’t have to go through with her undoubtedly stupid tattoo idea. She’s also glad she’s finally settled on what flower is perfect for him. She sends him wild honeysuckles  she’s modified herself; they glow arc reactor blue in the dark.

Key to various flowers mentioned in the story