Private - A special kind of treat

Hidden: To Tame a Grinch

H͟ȩ̛͠҉̛y̛̛͟͝!̛ ̛͢͞͠L͘i̸͞s̶̢t̵̸̨̧̕ȩ҉͟ņ͘͞!̡͟͟ ̢͜͞Ć͘͜͏'̷̧̢҉͘m̴̨͘̕͞o̸̷͘͞n̛͘͠͝!̡̛͝

"..." Sitting still like a rock with her eyes closed. That's what some people were refering to as meditating. Others, like Aselia, however prefered to either call it sleeping or being a waste of breathing space.

Dǫ̵͢ ̶͟y̧͜o͢͏u̕ ́͘͜h͠҉ę̵aŗ̛͡ ̷͞m̛͟e̷̕?̀ ͡҉D̷o̢̨͢ ̨̕y͡͠ơ̷ų̴ ̛h͘è̢ą͝r͘͜ m͏̀e͠? ̡̢̀C͞a̷̛̛ņ̷͘ y͏̵̡ó̵͏u͡ ̵͞u̧͞ǹ̸d҉ȩ͟rs̛͢͠ţ̷͜a̕͞ǹ͘͟d? ͘B̴́͢la̸͏b̕l͞͠ab̷͞la͘?̨́ ̵.̵.̢̀͝.͜ ͘Y͢o̡̕͢ù̷͘ ̕͞ḑ̧o̶n̸'̢͜͜t̷͠,̨͟͡ ̸r͏͞͝i͜͠g̡h̶̕t͏̷?̵͞ A͘҉̶s͜͝ ̨a̶ ̨al͝l̸̢-̵͘m̨ig̶̕h̡͢t̷y̴̶̢ ̀a͝҉ǹd̵̴ ͘͡p͝͏o҉̛ẁ͏e͝r̨͘f͜ù̶͘l̶̡͘ ́͘͢s̛̕ṕi̢̕r̵̛͡i̕͝͞t ̴t̶͟h͞i͏̷ńg̸ ̢̧͟wh͝y̸ ̴͜is i̸̛͝t̴̨ ͢Í̵̷ ́d̕o̢n̶'̧t̕ ̶́͢h̶ą͠v͠e ͘͏s̡o̶̶̡m͢͏͘e͞҉̸ so̧r͘t͘͡ ̵̸o̴̶f̢ ̷a͜͝ut̴o͡͞-̸t̶͜҉ra̷͜ń͜s͠͞m̴͝͠i̢t͠ ̷̛͟s̡p͡é̴ĺ͟l̴͟?̀ No̷҉̷,̨ ̕s̢i̶͟͢l̀l͘y̶͜ m͏̷͜e̸ ̷̨̀wa̢s҉̴̷te̡͘҉s̀͝ ̸̸͡h͘͢e͞r̸͘͠ ́͞e̵n͘̕͠t̀i͟ŗ͟e̕͠ ̡͞ti͘m̴̀e̴̢̡ ͞s̷peą͢k̛̀͢i͏ņ̶g̴͢͜ ̛͞҉t̢́͢o̶͡ ̕a̶ ̡d̡͞e͟a̵͜f͏ i̛͠d̴̀i̕͝o͟͢t͘ ̵̨͢t̛̛h̢a͢t ̛̀do͟ę̷͟s͡n̶̨'͢͢t͏ ̸̸̡e̢v̵̛͞e̵n̸̢ ̢͜k̷̡no̷͟w̕͟ ̵͢t̢hè͝ ͘ba̧s͘̕̕i̴̕͢c̸̛s ͞of̕ ̵̧̢t͠h̷͏e͟͝ ̸ģ͞rea͡t͞ ̶̡gi̴͝f͘t́͡ ̧̀͟go͞d̛͘̕-̡͡͞kno͝͞҉w̶̶s-̧w͜͡h̵͟͞o̕͘ ̵́d҉e͠͡c̛į̸͜d̷͟͠e̡d̛ t̸o͜͟ b̕e҉̀s̡t́ơ҉̵w ų̀͘p͘o̶͘n̢ ̨͡h̵͞e҉r͘!̶͜

"..." As Aselia kept sitting there the voice that had been permanently nagging her at the back of her head finally, slowly, became clearer. A few words could be made out among the gibberish which she was sure wasn't even any kind of human language.

You know, for a second I thought you might actually be smart enough to realize, after having spend over a week, that trying to go all hermit establish a connection between us! But considering your stupidity you probably just fell asleep.

Y͝o͝͠ư ̢͜ḱ̷ņǫw̶,̀̕͝ ̶̨f̛͢o̷͏r̷̴ ̶a̧̡ ͠s̨̛͡éc̷̛on҉͢͢d̵ ̕͟I̸ ͘҉th̀͘o͢͢ù̷̀gh̢́t͘͝ ̵̧͟y͘ou̡͟ ͞mi͡͡g̢̛͠h͢t ̷͢a̧͢ç̶͞t̵́̕u̵̧a̷͢l̛ly҉̀ ̢҉b̧́e̸̷͡ ̸s̢̀͘m̸͝a͏r͠t҉̴̧ ̡͝é̷̢nớùg̶̕h̛̀͜ ̕t͟o r̷̡ea҉̛҉l̴ize̡,̢̕̕ ̢͝a̸͜f͢͝t͏e̡̨̕r̷̢ ̵̧͝ḩ̵̀a͢v͝įn͢ǵ͠ ̢͟s̡͡p̸͡e̴҉n͡d̨ ̀ò̴v̢͞͝e͠͏r̛ ̸̡́a͏̴̡ ́̕w̴͡e̡͢͟ek̵͝,̶͘ ̢t͜͢h̸̢a̷t́͠ ̨̀t̀͟ry͜͏i̶n͘͘g ̷̷̵t̶̛͠o ̶̀g̷̶o͜ ̀̕ál̴̸l̕͟ h́e̴̷r͏m͜͠i͟t e̢͜s̴͝t̀͝a҉b͏͞l̸̡͟i̕͟sh ̸a͜͞ c͘òn̨ń̶̡eć̸̢ti̴ǫn̴ ̶̨b̀ȩ͟t́͡w̧͟ȩ̵͟ę̛͠n̡͞ ̡̛͢us!͘ ̨B͡u͜͠ţ͘ ̨͟c̨̛̀o͜͢n̛͟s̛̀i͏̧d͜è̷̢ri͏n̷͢͠g͜ ̕you̸̵͡r̛͠ ̛st͠ư̵̕p̧i̕͝d͝i̸t́̕͜y̡ y̧̧͠ó͘u͜͝҉ ̛p͟͝r̨͏̴ơ͡b͢͡ab̷̨͞l͏̴y ̸͜ju̢͝ś̸҉t̸̀ ̢́f̕͠e͡͞l̸͞l͏͟ a͜͝s̛͠l̸̨eȩ͜p͡.̧͠

Calling someone stupid behind their back is rather cowardly, wouldn't you agree? Aselia simply thought.

Oh.̧ ͜My̧.͘ ̸Go͏..͟.̕sh̸.҉ ͏Did ̵you͝.̨.̨.͜ ͠Di҉d ҉yo̶u̢ ҉ju̡st͢ c̸ommu̵níca̸t̡e͡ wit̕h̕ mé?!̡ ͠Fuc̶king͞ ͝fináll͟y. I̛ ͟ha͘d.̵.̕. ̴I̕ h́ad͠...͏ ne͏a͘r͏l̷y ̕g̸i͞ven̢ ̕into d͠esp̨air. ͠M͠ǫn͝o͢l̢o͟gu͞i̸ņg͝ fo͝r hours ̨c͝a͞n m͘a͘ķe o̶n̵e go ͠c͢r̕az̶y.҉ ͡E̵ve̡n m͝o҉ŕę t͢han͠ ͞some͞ ͜a̴l͜r̀e͞ady̸ th͝ink͝ ́I ̡am̢! ͡B̶út̷ ̛now̶ ̵t̡h͢at w͏e͘ ̴h̷avè ̴f͘inall̨y e̸st̡ab̷l̛i̵s͟h́ed a ̸c͠o̢nn͡ec͘t͘io̢n҉ ļe̸t̷'͏`̶s̵ do ͘thi̢ş quic͝k ͝a̧nd͡ ̧proper. ͡I'm ̵r͠eal̵l̕y ̸sic͜k a͜lr͢ead҉y̧.́ ͟Y͝o͘u may ͢cal͘l me.͝..̧ God? Yea̷h, le̕t̵'s̕ ̡st́i̵ck ͠w̵ith th̴at. If͜ you͢ w͞a̶nt me to ̡share ͢ev̵en ̶a͏ fraction ҉of m͞y ͝b̶ou̢n̢d̀l͜e̛ss a̷n͠d̴ ́p͝owerfu͡l ͜P̶O̸W̧ER ̡with ̨ỳo̶u ҉you͏ b̢e͢t͠ter͟ ́şt̸a̛r͏t ͟cal̶l͘ín͘g̴ ̛m̸e̶ GO͢D!

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H-͡H͝e͟l̢lo?͏ God to ̡dįspos̨a͝blȩ h͜e͘nch͞men͢?

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Oo̢h̴h̶h͝,̨ now y͟ou̵'͏re̛ p͟l͏ay͢i͟n͠g̶ h͜a̴rd̀ ͘to͝ ͏gèt,̷ ͝h͟uh? Fin͞e҉. ̶I҉t ̸is҉n̡'̨t͢ me͜ ̴w̨h̸o͘ w͠ant̶s͢ ̢sóme ̀s͜u̷pe̷r a͝we̷som̨é magic.͏ I'ļļ j͟ust b̵e ̷over herȩ ͡f́e̵ig͘ni͟n͞g ig̡n̛ór̴a̡n̸cę.͜

The white-hair wasn't all too sure how long she was sitting there, exercising to be the next World Record Holder in being a Stone, but ultimately, God gave in.

AL̶R̛I͞GHT͏ ALR͡I͡GHT. ͢My̷ ͞o͢tḩer d̵i̶śp̛o̧sabl̀e ̸p͝éons ҉ca̸ll ̀me K̡iko. ̧A̡r͏e yo̧u ́h͏a̕ppy ̴now̶ ͜y͡ou ̕an̛n̶o̕y͜ing m͢utt͟?͟

You were more stubborn than-

Ye̵ah̕ y͞e͘ah I͜ c͏oul͘dn̷'t ͞çàŕe ͢les͏s ́a͏b̷o̷u͘t͟ ̢s͞omé ̵e͞dg̸y-l̡o̕okath̀owb̧a͜d̵a͏ssi̵am͟-͠l͏in͡e o̡f ͏y̴òu͢r̢s.̨ W͜e ͘d͠o͡n̵'́t ev̧én ̸n̢eed to̵ įn͢t͝roduce ͡e̴ach̕ ͢óthe̕r͘. I͜ ̨l͟it̷e̴ra͟lly̸ kn҉ow ̀e̶v̸e̷ryt̷hi̷ng abǫut͏ ̨ỳo͡u ͟a̶l͟r̷e̷ady,͜ Ase͡lia.̡ ͡So ̛yo̵u ̵w͏ańt͢ s͞om͏è ҉fancy͞ m̛agi̶c͟, ͟r͜i͞g͢ht? No͏w̵ ͘that I f́ee̡l ͡yoú'r҉e͞ ac͝tual҉l͜y wi̢ll͟i͞n̷g̡ ̨t̛o coǫper̶at̴e ̵le̡t's͜ ͞get r̀i͢ght ̕ţo͟ ̷my͟ mos͘t͜ div̵ine̵ ̛o͜f̷ ̕aĺl͏ t́as͞ks҉: ͡Į ͠a͢m ͠dis̀g̨u̵s̵t̴ed ąt̴ ̷chi̷ļd͞ren. S̛mall little shi̧ts ̸t̴hat ̕sp̡end͢ ͏the͠ir ͠ent̢ire͞ ̨d͢a҉y ̵be̶ing̷ ҉anno҉yi͟ng. W͠h͢y w̸oul̛d tha̴t̛ mát͏t̡e͘r t҉o ̨a͟ń ̶all-̀a͜nd-po̷w͠ęrf̛ul͟ ̕exterre̢st͢riál b̡e͡i͞n̸g̢ ̵lik̡e̷ ͢m̧y̢self̛?̶ Bec̷ąųs͡è ͞t͡hey͡ a̕ļso c͞al͠l̀ ͝me͟ Ki͞k҉o͢ ͡the Dark Harvest ̴Gri͠n͠c҉h.̕

Alright҉. ͏So̕.͡ Ch̸i͏ldre҉n ͢arȩ bad̶.̧ Rig̕ht? ͡Sim̢ply͢ ͠te͏aćh t͜h̸e̡m͜ a ̵lesşo͏n̨.͢ I don't̶ ͝e̡v͠e̸n car̵e ͜i͠f t̸h̡e̕y ̢d̸i͞e̷ ͠th̨o̸ugh i̛f̛ ̛you͟ dec̢id͞e̡ to ̕g͞o҉ ͏there m҉ąke͡ s̨u҉re i̷t́'ll̀ at le͟ast ͞b͘e̢ a͜l͜l̴ ̷pąįn͢f͠u̧l̸!

So... you hate Hallow... Dark Harvest, huh?

I͢t ̨h͢ap̵p̕en̷s͜ ͢t͢o ̶be͟ ́t̷he̵ b̶usie͜s̵t́ ͘ti̶me a̴roùn͜d ̸f͞o̵r m̡e͘!͡ ̛W͘ho͝ dòes͜n͏'̨t h̴ate worki̵n͢g̶ ͠ov̨er̶-ti͜m̸e?!͜

And with this the white-haired soon-to-be-close-combat-witch already had a plan to set into motion... .

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Cooking. Some people thought of cooking as something simple like being able to just boil potatoes. Other saw it in the Art of creating perfection without the help of recipes. And lastly there were those who thought of something in the middle. For Aselia however the definition of 'cooking' did not matter at all.

What she believed in was that any sane person could read a recipe and follow the guidelines. 'I can't cook.' was simply synonymous with 'I can't read.'. Thus, it came to little surprise that someone who never made candies before was about to produce something that at least resembled something like medieval candies.

Still, there was nonetheless a difference between being able to have the expertise in creating a good looking piece of delicacy and just some... food... but what kids ultimately loved was just the taste of sweet: Sugar, honey and whatnot, no? Killing their taste-buds with the disgusting flavor of pure sweet would surely help.

As the woman continued stirring the mass mostly made out of sugar inside the gigantic sauce pan she took a good look around the room. After all these facilities were only borrowed for the greater good. The white-hair could nearly feel bad at how she managed to borrow this kitchen for nearly nothing at all just because she mentioned some sort of 'doing good for the kids'. NPCs were just as stupid as the real deal.

Regardless, unlike the price for this room the other guy, the shady dealer, drove quite a bargain. Though ultimately the red-eye wasn't too sure how much laxative was usually going for in the first place. Who even bought that stuff inside an MMO? Realism, ho.

'Stealing candy from kids' was about how difficult the task was. What the hell was Kiko thinking anyways? Bullying children wasn't Aselia's definition of fun at all, and thus, only deserved a half-assed job. Maybe, just maybe, however this could still get interesting... .

@Magi Heart @Solaria @Aalam Abungu

 

A small rather simple village. It was not a port, or a castle town, or much of anything really. These were the kinds of villages players likely used to get a quick rest and then move on with whatever they were doing. A small girl likely in the early stages of adolescence visited the little village. She was here for a reason that was not her own. Prism Shards were reportedly appearing this area now. Woopie doo, scavenger hunts... frankly it was getting old already. She needed to be given a reason for doing this dumb crap or she was going to call it quits... somehow. Something was keeping her attached to the vampire and she was unsure how to deal with it.

Tenebris had her bow, Gertrud right in her hand as she walked through the village. She was not all that tired or damaged. The area was no longer a big deal. Not too long ago she would have been totally sapped from the smallest things. Wasting time hesitating did that after all. Hunting for fun and profit was not too bad anymore. Shooting those disgusting bunnies in their twitching little rat noses was enthralling. That energy alone was enough to keep her going for hours. As for this village?

The smell of something really sweet wafted past her nose. Ewww no. Why were there sweets everywhere she went lately? It was disgusting! Several kids ran up to her suddenly. They were younger, and had smiles and looks that, on top of the sweet smell, almost immediately made Tenebris barf. Urgh... mini Magi Heart fans.... they actually exist?!

"Wow!"
"Who are you?"
"Pretty dress!"
"Are you Magi Heart?"
"We heard about you saving the man that one time!"
"Um um um um....""
"Yeah yeah! So coooool!"
"Do you do your own hair?"
"Is that bow heavy?"
"It looks badass!"
"Shut up Ben, that's a bad word!"
"Gobble gobble gobble gobble gobble ..."

It all became a mishmash of thrill voices to the dark girl's ears. Since when was Magi Heart anything but a bad joke? Dumb brats! Her eyes widened and she smiled the most pleasant smile she could at the little pests. The smile was obviously not the one the youngest girl in the back thought she would get. As she backed away and looked a bit less motivated to be involved. The boys though were just jumping with joy! Tenebris' smile twitched some at them... At first she thought to just blast them and help them out of their deluded state some. Pain was a great grow up medicine! Although that would get her in trouble with Vampy. since the village was not a enemy to the noble. Tenebris respected no one but, for some reason, would not cross that line. She actually had a better idea. It depended on what that smell was though... Magi would not have thought of this back in the day. This kind of fun was way beyond her.

"*Snicker* Gee whiz, helloooo Magi fans! I'm Magi alright! Yeppers❤! Justice... *cough*... stuff!"

She quickly did a dumb pose to entertain them and then eyed a nearby house. The smell came from there.

"So... I have something I have to do... you know! Dark festival stuffs! You all have to be good and stay out of m- go do your chores or something! So Magi can bring gr- uh... happiness to you all!❤!"

The kids cheered and ran off. Yay! It worked... being a icon for the kiddies was worth something at least. Tenebris truly felt sorry for them in her own twisted way. The brats needed to be saved as early as possible. Before they grow up with fake dreams and aspirations. Best nip it in the bud now and bring them the grief they needed! Grief was all anyone needed!

The reverse Magi headed for the house and snuck around the back. She covered her mouth to keep from snickering. If this was what she thought... it would be a blast! Her head lifted up to the window just a little bit. A big pot of sweet smelling stuff! Kewl beans! Time to make use of the mandrake poison she was carrying. She just needed to get inside somehow...

@Solaria @Aalam Abungu @Aselia

 

A child at the side of a local road caught the elf's attention that day as she was wandering the streets. The child, who'd just eaten some candy they apparently got from people they barely remembered, was in severe pain and critical condition from the looks of things. Apparently, it had started with horrible bowels- his body was slowly weakening due to the constant loss of liquid in his stool. Fearing for him, she tried to force water into him, but to no avail.

Something about this wasn't right at all.

He was only the first of many, however. A number of small children were soon found, dropping like flies until they passed on, and far from comfortably at home. For some reason, it was only children she found, all having been eating their candy with cheerful faces just a small while before.

"Damnit!" She spewed, cursing her failure as a fifth child died in her arms. Some reason or another, she couldn't seem to heal them. But, with time, she'd at least found out the cause of this disaster. Something ingested by these kids was poison. A horrible, disturbing poison.

She wandered to the in-game communications, finding the world channel and making a shout-out for help. Surely, someone somewhere would know something, wouldn't they? She had to try! Her martyr complex was already piqued from having so many die in her arms.

Solaria

Anyone in Dunnstads, I need your aid! The children are falling victim to a poison I can't identify, and without understanding the poison, I can't craft a cure! Please come find me or message me any info you have. I want to find the culprit so no more children go dying. It can't go on like this!

@Aalam Abungu @Aselia @Magi Heart

 

There were many ways form Aalam to practice his skills, but few gave him as much joy matching off against a giant bear. The creature was massive it was dangerous, and it tends not to like his kind. He had put seven arrows in the beast hide so far, but yet it would not fall, it took three more arrows through the roof of the creatures head to fell it. That shot always give him a bit of chill the precision and grace it took, just chills. Pulling a few of his arrows out the hide of the beast shaking the gore off so that they could be used again, it would be criminal to waste a good arrow merely criminal. Rest his longbow onto the ground next to him before getting ready to set to work.

He was about to try and extract one of the more difficult arrows from the creature head when a smell drifted by. It scents was sweet almost sickening the way it clung to the air it was enough that it covered everything else. That meant there had to be virtually a stupendous amount of candy being made, who could consume that much sugar and not be sick…..children, children could. Well, at least it wasn’t going to be his teeth that would be falling out of his mouth. He was about to leave the area when he heard a voice that cut through everything else, he knew that sound but the person it belonged to he hadn’t seen her in a while. That voice was enough to make him pay attention it was one of the few things that he associated with joy. It was Solaria! She was pleading for help something about children were being poisoned. Snatching up his bow and leaving the rest of the arrows embedding in the bear there was someplace he needs to be immediate. He needed to get to her location as quickly as possible, so he started to sprint instead ignoring any stream or river that blocked his path. Leaping over bushes and dodging around trees like gazelle until he was able to reach the village and to see what she saw at the entrance.

A child doubled over in pain clutching his stomach a puddle of bile in front of him and on his shirt. Stopping for second to look at the kid pressing a finger to his neck to see if he had a pulse and the rate of his breathing. It was weak, but if the message from Solaria was right then, he wasn’t going to be only in this pain. This would need to be looked into and from what he remembers of her she was going to be unable to pull herself from helping the children. That kindness wasn't going to help in a situation like so with a bit of effort he removed himself from the child and made his way towards her location. He was right she was already running her self-ragged and blaming herself of those that she couldn’t save. Resting a hand on her shoulder trying to hold her in place for a second; however, this wasn’t the time for kindness. “Calm yourself Solaria you can’t help them if their dead, we must find whatever is causing this and work from there.” Looking at the sight of tiny bodies and harden his heart there would be time later. “I saw someone else in the village I believe it was another player; we must enlist their help. For it is too much to do with just two, more will come for your call went out wide.”

@Solaria @Aselia @Magi Heart

 

As the white-hair continued her mischievous ways it did not take all too long as suddenly a pink-haired head popped up outside the open window. Right. There was no way Aselia could have stood this annoying smell with the windows closed. And there was obviously no way some curious kiddo wouldn't smell those sweets 10 houses far.

With a unnamed bottle in hand, which content she poured inside what would soon become the type of candies that could knock even an adult onto the toilet, the newbie Witch didn't look suspicious at all!

"Hey sweetie." Aselia gave Magi Heart a smile. Did nobody ever teach the brat that spying through windows could end rather badly? A certain popular TV show should have made a lot of people aware... .

Regardless of that the red-eye, with bottle in hand, now moved closer to the window. "Got that much of an appetite for sweet stuff? You see this bottle here? That's my secret ingredient! Chemical X, I call it." The bottle was nearly empty anyways. "So how about this: I give you the rest and in return you let this big sister finish her work in peace? Oh, and before I forget, this super secret ingredient has to stay a secret between us, okay?" Did this stuff even taste like anything? It certainly didn't smell. Well, whatever. Even if the amount of sugar she added should kill off any other flavor.

 

Aw crud. She was spotted! Tenebris had to learn a bit more how to use this rogue mastery of hers. Otherwise what the heck was the point of having it? The candy maker or whatever she was, looked like some kind of witch herself. Tenebris was being mistaken for that a lot by those who did not recognize her as Magi Heart, even then they thought the black colors were for the festival period. This proved useful enough...

"Eh... sure?"

The Dark Heart was about to gag from the sweet smell honestly. Saying that would cause trouble though. Why would she be here then? This bottle... Chemical X? Seriously? Tenebris did her best to look like a innocent kid who just wanted candy for now. However she needed to get to that pot and add her own something to it. She took the bottle and thought that in a way this was perfect! This woman's looks and this bottle! She looked a evil witch from some fairy tale! The mischievous side of Tenerbis was at full force now!

"Thank you m-miss, I'd love to taste it! ...Here! This is super s-sweet ! It'll taste great if you add it! Hehe!"

The gagging reflex made this hard but Tenebris had the results to keep herself invested. She handed the bits of mandrake in a small bag to the dark looking woman. Putting the 'Chemical X' into her own inventory as... ahem... possible proof of this women's horrible deeds. If it was just a sweet liquid, she definitely did not want to taste it... ewww.

@Aselia

 

Now that the pink girl leaned a bit over to give Aselia a gift of her own she got a better look at the her. Yeah, alright, Halloween or something, huh? Though then again Aselia herself was dressed for the occasion just as well. Maybe it was an actual player? Some 12 year old girl that dreamed of becoming a Magical Girl or something? Urgh.

The white-hair eyed the bag that she had accepted. Curious to what was inside it ultimately wouldn't matter, would it?

Generally Aselia wasn't so stupid to accept 'stuff from strangers', much less put them into food, but considering the circumstances did it really matter? Not at all. "Thank you little one! I'm sure the other kids will love it!"

For being a sweet loving innocent child she sure took her time drinking Chemical X though! Aselia's warm smile changed into a mischievous grin.

For a second the white-hair considered patting the girls head, but who liked having strangers patting their head anyways? Exactly. No one. Thus, closing the windows the soon-to-be-Witch turned around and continued her divine task.

The reasoning, smart, part inside Aselia's head told her to simply throw whatever she was given away. Or maybe study it or something. But was it fun to listen to reason? Not at all.

Without any further delay the white-hair mixed everything, including the mandrake, together before putting a bunch of small droplets of stuff into the oven.

...
...
...

If the kids were to have the bowel movement of the year from this the white-hair wasn't all to keen on taking the blame for it. 'Here you little morons! Have free candy from a stranger!' wasn't the way she wanted to go about it anyways.

Maybe, if she owned a home, she could have done the whole trick&treat deal. No, Aselia went about this different. Stealing borrowing herself some crayons from some other kids she simply poured some sweets into whatever different containers she could find: flower-vases, empty baskets, the bucket of the some well and so on.

Sure, some people most-likely did see her here or there but ultimately they were just some NPCs, no? She hadn't tested out the extent of their intelligence yet but artificial AI should bring one only so far. Thus, after making sure to also write something like 'Happy Dark Festival, kiddos ^o^! And be nice to your mommy and daddy!' and similar under all the places she put the candy down her task was finally done.

 

Tenebris had to pull away with her faux Magi smile. It... it was gonna break and give her away! She closed her eyes cutely and waved bye as she turned and headed off. After getting far enough to be out of earshot, she quickly went behind a tree and leaned on it with her hands on her face. He entire body shaking. Lowering her hands, her smile was devilish and twitching wildly as she snickered uncontrollably.

"Yessss hehehehe! Oops I think I sounded a bit like Shortcula there! Hehehehehe!"

Tenebris wiped at her tearing eyes. This would be so greatly miserable! She had to watch this play out. That dumb witchiepoo had better play it out right though! The Dark Heart shifted her gaze to some kids playing nearby. Truly, her venomous grudge filled heart grieved for them. This was her present to them on this wonderful holiday of their's!

"Your hero will watch you suffer and awaken my wonderful faaaaans❤! Find heaven in death!"

She said quietly to herself as she did a very dramatic Magi Heart pose in a act of ironic mockery of what she once was. Okies! Time to disappear for a bit and come 'help' when this 'episode' of Magical Girl: Tenberis Codris starts!

@Solaria @Aalam Abungu @Aselia

 

A familiar voice had caught her attention as she was weeping over another lost soul. "Oh, Aalam. You caught my message?" The tears in her eyes were unusual to even her, stinging her corneas as a hand tried to ground her. Though thankful for the much needed reminder to stay calm, it was rather hard to do so with so many bodies she couldn't protect.

"This isn't a normal outbreak. This is poison, I'm sure. It seems like only NPCs have been caught by it, and it's only children...Even a small group of us might not be able to find the culprit without more clues."

Her skin was pale compared to normal. If one looked closely with inspection, they'd see near her health and energy a flashing statement lit in red, much like a warning flag. In the bloody hue, a tiny bell seeming to ring with each flash of the light, the words 'Death Affliction - Martyr Complex: Active' was clearly a warning to others more than the sufferer herself.

It wasn't like Solaria didn't have a martyr complex beforehand- this one was just a wee bit different. Already impulsive and driven to protect, when the 'death affliction' that pushed her personality to it's limit was active, it meant greater energy loss and often insatiable blood lust for the 'cause'. Her mind would remain focused, solely on the criminal- on finding and destroying them.

"How do we get more people to help? And where do we even begin looking for clues? The only real thing these kids might have in common is snack food...But the town is full of it..." Her pallor stayed horrid, her eyes glazed over. "If you were a bastard wanting to ruin lives, where would you begin, Aalam? Where would you hide the poison for the children you wish to murder like an insect might?"


@Aalam Abungu @Aselia @Magi Heart

 

It was plain to see how much this act had hurt him; she was crying and that red hue around her body. There was something flashing slightly just on the edge of his vision. It took a few seconds to catch what it said “Marty complex.” She had a Marty complex that did not bode well for he was aware what both of those words meant and to see them together was not pleasant. If that meant what he thought it did Gods forbid, she would be more than driven she would be restless.

“Solaria listen to me I need you to try and keep on track this might make your blood boil but you must be objective, or you will miss something. Once you can do that come over, we’ll take a look at the children.” Glancing around at the bodies the litter the ground like flies, there were a few that were still conscious, they could be questioned. If it poison as she suspects then it had to be something that children came in contact within a short time. It was an investigation that would take time for if they messed up or made a mistake, then it could lead to the death of everyone here.

Leaving her to send up the signal walking towards one of the children that seemed to have already passed away turning the child over to get a look at him, trying to work out where he could have been poisoned. He was going to need some help from the system, however, resting two fingers against his temple as he activated investigation mode. Enabling his camcorder at the same time, there was nothing he wanted to miss in this case. The body was a young male fair complexion; someone spent a considerable amount of time in this NPC. The body was doubled over in pain arms clenched around the stomach area cloths are reasonably clean, worn but not ragged. Good thing he hadn’t removed his gloves as of yet it seemed that they would come in handy. Moving to take a look at everything in his possession, it was nothing but a bunch of candy, that wasn’t adding up there want anything on his corpse that looked like it was poisoned. He was about to pull away when something stick gave him pause. Taking a sniff at the boy’s hands smelling something that was incredibly sweet. Rubbing whatever was on his glove between his fingers feeling them stick together. There was a thought bubbling in the back of his head, and he didn’t like it, so by the Gods again he hope he was wrong.He would wait for Solaria, he needs a second and possibly third opinion.

@Aselia @Solaria @Magi Heart

 

As the man calming her left her to her own devices, she punched at the ground on her knees. What hurt the most now was that she knew he was right- she couldn't help anyone if she stayed the way she was. If she stayed to dwell in her ire, in her hatred and lust for blood, she would only cause harm, not good.

After calming down, she sent out another message to the server. Hopefully, if the last one worked, she'd get an answer like she'd had with Aalam. If they could just get a couple more people in the area to help, surely this quest for knowledge would turn into something whole, wouldn't it?

Solaria

To all in Duunstads, hear my plea. The children are dying, and only we can save them! Whether alive or fake, the children are said to be the future...If the children die, we have no future. I cannot do this alone. Please, if nothing else, send me any clues you might see!

She ended the message with how to find her and her inbox address, hoping it would lead to some sort of community watch or anything helpful of that nature. Calmed enough for the moment, she joined Aalam to peer at the soul he'd found to examine.

When she saw him fiddling with his fingers, which stuck together slightly and had a peculiar smell, the girl could only frown and get a closer whiff of it. "Yep, smells like candy...and something gross mixed in. It smells like candy mixed with my friend's tea...Now that's a nightmare combination." The tea, after all, was medicine she remembered. "I'm an alchemist, but I can't quite figure out what's in the substance...I'm sure whatever it is, the kids thought it was simple candy. It's that time of year, you know..."

While she'd been crouching for a moment to be at the child's side, she noticed a deposit of something peculiar in a flower pot. Running to take a closer look, she was amazed to realize what she'd thought were decorative stones were nothing of the sort. "Aalam! I found something weird!" She waved the man over, frantic yet standing stable. "I thought this pot was for decoration, but...It looks like someone put candy in here! Could this be a clue? Should I share it on the server too?" So far, no one had messaged her back from her world shout-out. Would this answer make others more interested in aiding her?

@Aalam Abungu @Aselia @Magi Heart

 

Well. Things were going rather unexpectedly. Like any good sandbox-villain Aselia was obviously staying in the vicinity to watch her work unfold - half-assed job or not.

She simply wanted to see their faces of discomfort before they'd made off to the next toilet or something. After all, Kiko surely wouldn't be pleased if it didn't work. What Aselia, ultimately, got however wasn't just some kids with stomach problems. Instead, they were dying from the sweets. Literally.

It either meant she was just that great of a cook, whatever was in the bottle the shady dealer had given her was something else entirely or the little devil from earlier had given her something quite punchy. Whatever the case was, however, her mission was a success nonetheless.

While she was aware that too much laxative could literally kill someone, too, she doubted any kid would have even eaten that many sweets in the first place. But, ultimately, regardless of who was to blame, Aselia didn't really care? It was just virtual and everything after all.

If anything she had maybe found someone nice to get along with if she were to ever find that girly witch again - given it was indeed her fault. Though then again having the mentality to go so far implied a certain kind of creep... and while the player behind Aselia's Avatar was clearly not one the good sorts, and certainly did not care in the end, wasn't bad enough to go out of the way to do such a deed either. Now, poisoning an entire royal court of virtual clowns just for the kicks however sounded like an actual fun alternative.

Now, Aselia was actually quite curious to know what killed them purely for future endeavors.. Just as she was thinking about how to go about this, however, a particular pair entered her view-of-sight onto one of the flower pots she originally put the candy in. The female was talking rather loudly to someone else about a clue of sorts. So... investigators? Were they on to her? Was she supposed to be afraid? Oh noes was she going into cyber-prison and serve a sentence of 30 years not being able to play this game anymore? Clearly, the cruelest of all fates!

Giving a slight chuckle while still by herself the red-eyed Witch finally stood up from the bench under the tree she was sitting on before going over. "Are you two investigating what's happening to those poor, poor children?" She intruded and asked a more-or-less rhetorical question.

 

Time passed and Tenebris spent the time properly setting up. Tenebris needed to do something stomach turning. She needed to act as lame and 'Magi Hearty' as she could. Just for this. Just this rare time... she had to be as much like that total wussy as she could tolerate herself being without either bursting out laughing or puking. She was able to sadly, remember her old self's personality and poses just enough.

"...Oh... oh nuuu. My fans are all dropping like flies... where is my unicorn boyfriend to tell me what to do❤?!"

Nope.

"H-hi! I'm Magi Heart! Love and justi- bleh.""

Urgh...

"*Cough* I heard that kids were grieving and... and... I want... to help them!"

Good enough. Tenebris was practicing her Magi act a short distance away from the village. It was a small camp but it worked. She learned how to camp when she was a girl scout for a couple years. Gee whiz, when did that happen? Tenebris was having a lot of trouble remembering her life as Wendy. Nor did she really care. Wendy equaled Magi to the girl now. Both were best left behind for good. After practicing a few dumb Magi poses to refresh herself. Tenebris was ready to get lame with some noob heroes that were going to be drawn to this little... event.

"Magi Heart! Ugh... that last part....bleh. Magi! To the rescue! ...hehehe!"

She left the camp still burning as she left. Of course she would! Burning this forest down would be a blessing to all the poor forest critters! A girl scout knows! Only you can create forest fires! It took no time at all to find some gross wannabe heroes. She just had to follow the path of dead kids! That candy really got places! Kewl beans! Tenebris generated Love Bringer, her old bow that just so happened to still be in her inventory. It would help with her little role she had to put on. As soon as they started to enlarge in her line of sight. The Dark Magica stopped and put all of her focus into changing her facial expression and vocal tone to that of magical wuss. She then broke into a sprint towards them, waving .

"H-hey there! There are poor kids dying all over the place... um.... "

She skidded to a halt with her arms flailing to their sides to maintain balance. This was a classic Magi thing that she remembered. Her red eyes met with another single exposed red eye in the group. She was here too? Heh, this will be terribly good! Tenebris made the most serious impression of Magi Hearts' salute and pose as she could. It came off stiff and forced but it would have to do.

"I'm Magi! I help people persons. Do you guys know what's going on?"


@Solaria @Aalam Abungu @Aselia

 

Two girls with reddish eyes appeared at once. That wasn't anything weird, was it? Surely it wasn't common yet, but she could safely assume that a lot of people would play characters with red eyes if they could! Actually, why hadn't she? If she could have, she should have. Red eyes were really interesting. Even if they were creepy at the same time, in their own way.

"We're looking into it, yeah. It appears to be from the candy they've been eating... It's only harming children, whatever it is. My guess is someone poisoned the candies scattered around here. It is a day of treats for the little ones, after all."

Smiling sadly, she felt a pang in her chest. Seeing all these dead kids, her martyr complex in game was only intensified by the fact she couldn't help imagining this happening to her own brother- a boy of five years old, with a long life ahead of him. A boy who had enough burdens in the world. These children too must have had their share of burdens.

But, would they have given up on their lives purposely? No, at least a few had to be mistakes. "I know it wasn't intentionally ingesting toxins for some of them. The first one I saw die, died in my arms while I was trying to help them with some pain they were complaining about. If I had more equipment, I could try to figure out what's in these foul treats, but..."

No, that wasn't an option. "We have to find where these candies came from, and fast. Who knows how many more batches there are? We can't even be sure that all of them are contaminated!" Her head was beginning to pound, the alarm of her heart ringing endlessly in her ears. "Ah, I'm Solaria by the way, and this is @Aalam Abungu. May I ask your names, and if you're willing to assist us in the search?"

@Aselia @Magi Heart

 

It seemed that two over players had seen Solaria distress signal well that was good if nothing else at least there would be a few more people to help look into what was happening, even if the both of them seemed a bit off maybe it was the red eyes. However, there was no point in judging someone base on merely their character design it would sever no purpose mainly since he wasn’t the friendliest looking avatar. It was probably nothing Magi greeting just seemed odd, but he was reading too much into it they both appeared as they had some concern for the children so personality aside there was work that needs to be done and he couldn’t afford to be picky right now. He would have to remind Solaria that this wasn’t her fault. She couldn’t help those that were already dead, but they could make sure that no one else died.

He needed to finish looking at the body first open the boy’s mouth to take a look at his tongue and teeth. It might not have been the most pleasant thing for someone to watch, but he needed to make sure before he asked Solaria to send out a world message. There mashed into one of the back molars there was still a bit of candy stuck to teeth. It had been too long however so he couldn’t tell what one it was but there was still the pot Solaria had found earlier. Finally remembering that there were two new people that he introduce themselves muttering a quick “I’m Aalam would be a pleasure under better conditions.” The pot he still needs to check that pot that was found earlier running over to it running his hand inside its surface giving his finger a sniff and almost gagging. Whatever was in the pot was strong, but he still couldn’t tell what was made in the pot it whatever remains had been burnt away. Damn, there was no way to say which candy it was.

“Damn Solaria send out a message tell everyone in the area that candy has been discovered to be toxic and should be burnt with caution take no to breathe in the fumes.” Getting up and wiping the candy’s remain on his trousers turning towards Magi and Aselia." I take it you two came because of Solaria’s signal that good we are going to need help tracking down whoever made this. You didn’t happen to past anything strange while you were on your way here, did you?" He needed to get a handle on this as long as Solaria could get that message out it could lower the fatality rate for this incident and maybe it would reach the high double digits.

@Solaria @Magi Heart @Aselia